Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $228.3636.

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Eagle Materials from $251.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen raised Eagle Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Eagle Materials from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eagle Materials

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EXP. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in Eagle Materials by 21.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,019 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,474 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,302 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $870,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey lifted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 12,634 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,553,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 8,553 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,729,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Eagle Materials stock opened at $183.70 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 2.68 and a current ratio of 4.27. Eagle Materials has a 1 year low of $183.53 and a 1 year high of $243.64. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $219.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $221.51. The firm has a market cap of $5.77 billion, a PE ratio of 13.91 and a beta of 1.35.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by ($0.10). Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 28.96% and a net margin of 18.70%.The firm had revenue of $555.96 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $556.41 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Eagle Materials will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is 7.57%.

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.