Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nine analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $289.78.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $270.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Raymond James lowered shares of Eagle Materials from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $305.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $300.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd.

Eagle Materials Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE:EXP opened at $270.68 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $245.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $246.04. The company has a market cap of $9.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.87 and a beta of 1.32. Eagle Materials has a 52-week low of $145.03 and a 52-week high of $279.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 2.45.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The construction company reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.37. Eagle Materials had a net margin of 21.65% and a return on equity of 37.10%. The firm had revenue of $608.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $622.06 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.55 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials will post 15.9 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 17th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.37%. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is 7.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Eric Cribbs sold 1,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.06, for a total transaction of $512,838.06. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,937 shares in the company, valued at $3,861,385.22. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Eagle Materials news, insider Eric Cribbs sold 1,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.06, for a total value of $512,838.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,937 shares in the company, valued at $3,861,385.22. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Dale Craig Kesler sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.76, for a total transaction of $1,333,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 60,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,135,778.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 79.2% in the 1st quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 95 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Eagle Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Eagle Materials during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Tompkins Financial Corp acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 132.7% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 114 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.