Brokerages Set Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Target Price at $279.40

Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the ten brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $279.40.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of 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 Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $242.00 price target on the stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

NYSE:EXP opened at $217.54 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.24 billion, a PE ratio of 15.54 and a beta of 1.37. Eagle Materials has a 1 year low of $205.44 and a 1 year 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $233.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $263.89.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) 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 net margin of 20.91% and a return on equity of 34.14%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 7.14%.

Insider Activity at Eagle Materials

In other news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $257.36 per share, with a total value of $79,781.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $940,650.80. The trade was a 9.27 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital Market Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Eagle Materials in the first quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 840 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $186,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 21.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,523 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 104,903 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,886,000 after purchasing an additional 9,723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twinbeech Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth $6,226,000. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

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.