Van ECK Associates Corp Has $7.86 Million Stock Position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 41.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,865 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,380 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 0.10% of Eagle Materials worth $7,863,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Eagle Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $64,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $81,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $167,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its stake 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 valued at $188,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Eagle Materials by 789.9% during 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 during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Eagle Materials news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,655 shares in the company, valued at approximately $940,650.80. This trade represents a 9.27 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

NYSE:EXP traded down $8.47 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $224.46. 528,707 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 337,135. The business has a 50 day moving average of $250.69 and a 200 day moving average of $270.35. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 1-year low of $211.44 and a 1-year high of $321.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $7.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.03 and a beta of 1.37.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share (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%. Research analysts forecast that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.