Whittier Trust Co. Purchases 2,601 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Whittier Trust Co. raised its position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 71,938 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 2,601 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. owned about 0.22% of Eagle Materials worth $17,751,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Eagle Materials by 30.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,801,257 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,093,432,000 after acquiring an additional 878,400 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Eagle Materials by 60.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,735,133 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $499,111,000 after purchasing an additional 652,836 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 707,607 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $203,585,000 after purchasing an additional 23,911 shares during the last quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA grew its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 46.2% during the 3rd quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 500,273 shares of the construction company's stock worth $143,904,000 after buying an additional 158,171 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 2.7% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 349,756 shares of the construction company's stock worth $100,607,000 after buying an additional 9,216 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Remove Ads

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais acquired 310 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,655 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $940,650.80. The trade was a 9.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Eagle Materials Stock Up 4.6 %

EXP traded up $9.95 during trading on Monday, hitting $228.11. The company had a trading volume of 398,733 shares, compared to its average volume of 307,937. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $238.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $266.08. The company has a market capitalization of $7.59 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29 and a beta of 1.37. 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 one year low of $205.44 and a one year high of $321.93.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid 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 0.44%. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $310.00 price objective on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $242.00 target price for the company. Finally, Loop Capital lowered shares of Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, November 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $286.40.

About Eagle Materials

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.