Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Increases Stock Holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,941 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 128 shares during the quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $1,219,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC lifted its position 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. increased its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 60.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,735,133 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $499,111,000 after purchasing an additional 652,836 shares in the last quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA lifted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 46.2% in the 3rd quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 500,273 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $143,904,000 after purchasing an additional 158,171 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,846,000. Finally, Merewether Investment Management LP purchased a new position in Eagle Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $22,552,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Up 0.8 %

EXP opened at $252.47 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 12 month low of $211.44 and a 12 month high of $321.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.03 and a beta of 1.37. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $254.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $271.05.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eagle Materials

In related news, CEO Michael Haack sold 11,888 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.50, for a total value of $3,691,224.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 85,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,644,315.50. This represents a 12.17 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael R. Nicolais bought 310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Eagle Materials from $277.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $330.00 to $310.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $296.80.

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.