Polaris Capital Management LLC Sells 1,400 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Polaris Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 16.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,000 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,400 shares during the period. Polaris Capital Management LLC's holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $1,727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EXP. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the third quarter worth $64,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials in the fourth quarter worth $81,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company's stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 760 shares of the construction company's stock worth $188,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 789.9% in the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 703 shares of the construction company's stock worth $202,000 after buying an additional 624 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Eagle Materials Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of EXP traded up $0.81 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $251.31. The company had a trading volume of 109,608 shares, compared to its average volume of 312,257. The firm has a market cap of $8.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.95 and a beta of 1.37. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $255.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $270.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 52-week low of $211.44 and a 52-week high of $321.93.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.97 by ($0.38). Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 20.91%. On average, research analysts predict that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EXP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Eagle Materials from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Loop Capital downgraded Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday, November 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Eagle Materials from $277.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $296.80.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In related news, Director Richard Ross Stewart sold 3,577 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.30, for a total value of $1,074,173.10. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $330,330. This trade represents a 76.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Michael Haack sold 11,888 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.50, for a total value of $3,691,224.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 85,811 shares in the company, valued at $26,644,315.50. The trade was a 12.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Eagle Materials Company Profile

Eagle Materials Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells heavy construction materials and light building materials in the United States. It operates in four segments: Cement, Concrete and Aggregates, Gypsum Wallboard, and Recycled Paperboard. The company engages in the mining of limestone for the manufacture, production, distribution, and sale of Portland cement, including Portland limestone cement; grinding and sale of slag; and mining of gypsum for the manufacture and sale of gypsum wallboards used to finish the interior walls and ceilings in residential, commercial, and industrial structures, as well as well as containerboard and lightweight packaging grades; manufacture and sale of recycled paperboard to the gypsum wallboard industry and other paperboard converters; the sale of readymix concrete; and mining and sale of aggregates, such as crushed stone, sand, and gravel.