Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Purchases 302 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its position in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 24.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,559 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 78.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,948 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,915,000 after purchasing an additional 16,645 shares during the period. Baupost Group LLC MA raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 46.2% during 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 period. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $920,000. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 27,265 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,843,000 after purchasing an additional 2,871 shares during the period. Finally, Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $4,041,000. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In other news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $257.36 per share, with a total value of $79,781.60. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,655 shares in the company, valued at approximately $940,650.80. This trade represents a 9.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

Eagle Materials stock opened at $213.84 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $244.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $268.92. Eagle Materials Inc. has a twelve month low of $205.44 and a twelve month high of $321.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $7.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.27 and a beta of 1.37.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.97 by ($0.38). Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 20.91%. On average, equities research 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 issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EXP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. DA Davidson reduced their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $292.40.

Eagle Materials Company 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.