Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 10,910 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 35.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,608 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 10,910 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.06% of Eagle Materials worth $4,838,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. RD Lewis Holdings Inc. bought a new position in Eagle Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $285,000. 12th Street Asset Management Company LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. 12th Street Asset Management Company LLC now owns 42,065 shares of the construction company's stock worth $10,380,000 after purchasing an additional 1,511 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,420 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $844,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the period. AGF Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Eagle Materials by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 59,599 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $14,707,000 after buying an additional 1,361 shares during the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its position in Eagle Materials by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 52,787 shares of the construction company's stock worth $13,026,000 after buying an additional 6,225 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In other news, Director Michael R. Nicolais bought 310 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $257.36 per share, with a total value of $79,781.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,655 shares of the company's stock, valued at $940,650.80. This represents a 9.27 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EXP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Citigroup downgraded Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $242.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $286.40.

Eagle Materials Stock Down 2.1 %

EXP stock traded down $4.81 during trading on Friday, reaching $221.02. 204,365 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 317,762. The firm's 50 day moving average is $237.15 and its 200 day moving average is $265.45. The firm has a market cap of $7.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Eagle Materials Inc. has a twelve month low of $205.44 and a twelve month high of $321.93.

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

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Eagle Materials 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.