Loop Capital Downgrades Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) to Hold

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) was downgraded by stock analysts at Loop Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a $315.00 price objective on the construction company’s stock. Loop Capital’s target price suggests a potential upside of 1.63% from the stock’s previous close.

EXP has been the topic of several other reports. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $252.00 to $311.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $309.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of 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 price target on Eagle Materials from $277.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective on Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Eagle Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $304.89.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

NYSE:EXP opened at $309.96 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $10.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.89 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $294.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $259.03. Eagle Materials has a one year low of $177.67 and a one year high of $321.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 2.34 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $4.31 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.75 by ($0.44). The company had revenue of $623.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $651.46 million. Eagle Materials had a net margin of 21.32% and a return on equity of 35.79%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.28 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Eagle Materials will post 15.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Eagle Materials news, Director George John Damiris sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.62, for a total value of $277,620.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,943 shares in the company, valued at $2,205,135.66. This trade represents a 11.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Tony Thompson sold 1,401 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $314.00, for a total transaction of $439,914.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,148,568. This trade represents a 9.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,866 shares of company stock worth $5,482,931 in the last ninety days. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eagle Materials

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 1.1% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 351,258 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $95,455,000 after buying an additional 3,897 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 481.5% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,315 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,808,000 after acquiring an additional 6,885 shares during the last quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 400.3% during the third quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd now owns 12,978 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,733,000 after acquiring an additional 10,384 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 94.8% during the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 32,772 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,906,000 after purchasing an additional 15,949 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 441.1% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 27,818 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,049,000 after purchasing an additional 22,677 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.