Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Shares Sold by Ruggaard & Associates LLC

Ruggaard & Associates LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,685 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 266 shares during the period. Ruggaard & Associates LLC’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $663,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of EXP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Eagle Materials by 60.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,735,133 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $499,111,000 after acquiring an additional 652,836 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $93,672,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Eagle Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,115,000. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Eagle Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,846,000. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its position in Eagle Materials by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 270,711 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $66,801,000 after buying an additional 37,689 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In other Eagle Materials news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $257.36 per share, with a total value of $79,781.60. Following the completion of 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

NYSE:EXP opened at $217.54 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.54 and a beta of 1.37. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $233.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $263.89. 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 quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.97 by ($0.38). Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 20.91%. Analysts expect that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on EXP shares. Citigroup downgraded Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $242.00 price objective for the company. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.