Natixis Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Natixis Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 15.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,051 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 4,214 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.07% of Eagle Materials worth $5,688,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EXP. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,032 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,275 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $654,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $208,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 46,562 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $13,394,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 34.6% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 21,828 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,279,000 after purchasing an additional 5,614 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

NYSE:EXP opened at $217.86 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $238.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $265.83. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Eagle Materials Inc. has a twelve month low of $205.44 and a twelve month high of $321.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.56 and a beta of 1.37.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last announced its quarterly 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on EXP. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $242.00 target price for the company. Citigroup cut shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Loop Capital cut 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $286.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Michael R. Nicolais acquired 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $257.36 per share, with a total value of $79,781.60. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,655 shares in the company, valued at approximately $940,650.80. This represents a 9.27 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.