Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $302.67.

EXP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Eagle Materials from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $277.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $252.00 to $311.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $309.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director George John Damiris sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.62, for a total value of $277,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,943 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,205,135.66. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eagle Materials

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its position in Eagle Materials by 79.2% during the first quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 95 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted 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 buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the 1st quarter valued at about $42,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 1,760.0% during the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Eagle Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $55,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Eagle Materials Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of EXP stock opened at $287.49 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $277.89 and a 200-day moving average of $253.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Eagle Materials has a 1-year low of $161.05 and a 1-year high of $306.36. The stock has a market cap of $9.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.30 and a beta of 1.32.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.75 by ($0.44). Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 35.79% and a net margin of 21.32%. The company had revenue of $623.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $651.46 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. Eagle Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Eagle Materials will post 15.45 earnings per share for the current year.

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.