Michael R. Nicolais Purchases 310 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Stock

Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Director Michael R. Nicolais bought 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought 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 owns 3,655 shares in the company, valued at approximately $940,650.80. The trade was a 9.27 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

Shares of EXP traded down $8.75 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $246.25. 585,443 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 318,684. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $257.51 and a 200-day moving average of $271.31. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 52 week low of $211.44 and a 52 week high of $321.93. The stock has a market cap of $8.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.59 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 2.76.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 EPS 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, analysts forecast that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 7.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EXP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Loop Capital lowered shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $277.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup downgraded shares of 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, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.80.

Institutional Trading of Eagle Materials

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EXP. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 53.0% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 205 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 154.8% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 237 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at about $64,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $81,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $140,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.