Great Lakes Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Great Lakes Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 37.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 43,287 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 26,176 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $10,682,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EXP. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 78.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,948 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,915,000 after buying an additional 16,645 shares during the last quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA grew its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 46.2% in the 3rd quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 500,273 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $143,904,000 after buying an additional 158,171 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $920,000. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 27,265 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,843,000 after buying an additional 2,871 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,041,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE:EXP opened at $209.30 on Thursday. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $242.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $267.95. The company has a market cap of $6.97 billion, a PE ratio of 14.95 and a beta of 1.37.

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

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eagle Materials

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. DA Davidson dropped 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. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eagle Materials has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.