Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Shares Sold by William Blair Investment Management LLC

William Blair Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 29.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 413,188 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 172,997 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned 1.24% of Eagle Materials worth $101,958,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXP. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 78.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,948 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $10,915,000 after purchasing an additional 16,645 shares during the period. Baupost Group LLC MA raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 46.2% in the third quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 500,273 shares of the construction company's stock worth $143,904,000 after acquiring an additional 158,171 shares during the period. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,041,000. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 27,265 shares of the construction company's stock worth $7,843,000 after acquiring an additional 2,871 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 242.4% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,789 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,922,000 after acquiring an additional 5,514 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Eagle Materials Trading Up 0.3 %

Eagle Materials stock traded up $0.57 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $217.86. 640,693 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 361,908. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $239.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $266.11. Eagle Materials Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.44 and a fifty-two week high of $321.93. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.56 and a beta of 1.37.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on EXP shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. DA Davidson reduced their target price 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. Citigroup cut shares of Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Loop Capital cut Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $286.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.