Blair William & Co. IL Sells 2,410 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Blair William & Co. IL trimmed its position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 25.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,882 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,410 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $1,698,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 53.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 205 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Eagle Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $81,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Eagle Materials by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $140,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Eagle Materials by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $167,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $170,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eagle Materials

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais acquired 310 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the purchase, the director now directly 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 acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

NYSE:EXP opened at $227.42 on Wednesday. Eagle Materials Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.44 and a fifty-two week high of $321.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 2.76. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $235.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $264.88. The company has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a PE ratio of 16.24 and a beta of 1.37.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last issued its quarterly 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. 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 0.44%. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $242.00 price target on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eagle Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $279.40.

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.