Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its stake in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,695 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 1,465 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. owned 0.11% of Eagle Materials worth $9,055,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in Eagle Materials by 53.0% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 205 shares of the construction company's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $81,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company's stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Eagle Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $170,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michael R. Nicolais bought 310 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on EXP shares. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $242.00 price target for the company. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital downgraded Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Citigroup cut Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $286.40.

Eagle Materials Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE EXP traded up $0.60 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $228.48. The company had a trading volume of 402,291 shares, compared to its average volume of 307,915. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $238.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $266.08. 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. The stock has a market cap of $7.61 billion, a PE ratio of 16.32 and a beta of 1.37.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 20.91% and a return on equity of 34.14%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 yield of 0.44%. Eagle Materials's payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

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.