Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $235.20.

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $210.00 target price (down from $280.00) on shares of Eagle Materials in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Eagle Materials from $261.00 to $251.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $245.00 to $230.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 11th.

Eagle Materials Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:EXP opened at $219.67 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $220.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $7.04 billion, a PE ratio of 16.21 and a beta of 1.36. Eagle Materials has a fifty-two week low of $191.91 and a fifty-two week high of $264.91.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The construction company reported $4.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by ($0.12). Eagle Materials had a net margin of 19.41% and a return on equity of 30.13%. The firm had revenue of $638.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $635.55 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.31 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Eagle Materials will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eagle Materials

In other news, Director David E. Rush bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $208.08 per share, for a total transaction of $208,080.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 4,173 shares in the company, valued at approximately $868,317.84. This trade represents a 31.52% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eagle Materials

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EXP. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 486.7% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 14,252 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,047,000 after buying an additional 11,823 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in Eagle Materials by 1,822.3% during the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 44,193 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,932,000 after acquiring an additional 41,894 shares during the period. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in Eagle Materials by 23.2% during the second quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 15,775 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,188,000 after purchasing an additional 2,975 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Eagle Materials by 212.9% during the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 7,610 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,538,000 after purchasing an additional 5,178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the second quarter worth approximately $2,001,000. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

About Eagle Materials

Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) is a Dallas, Texas–based manufacturer of building materials serving construction and heavy industry markets across the United States. The company’s primary products include portland and masonry cements, gypsum wallboard, lightweight aggregate, paperboard packaging, and roofing granules. These product lines support a wide range of end uses—from residential and commercial buildings to infrastructure projects and industrial applications.

Since its spin-off from a major homebuilding company in 2004, Eagle Materials has grown through targeted facility expansions and strategic acquisitions.