Leuthold Group LLC Trims Stock Position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Leuthold Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 0.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,197 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 204 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC owned about 0.07% of Eagle Materials worth $4,827,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Asset Management Inc increased its position in Eagle Materials by 261.8% during the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 871,970 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $176,870,000 after buying an additional 630,964 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Eagle Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $88,925,000. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in Eagle Materials by 133.0% in the 4th quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 662,628 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $134,407,000 after purchasing an additional 378,296 shares in the last quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA purchased a new position in Eagle Materials in the 1st quarter valued at about $71,199,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 61.6% during the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 509,605 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $138,485,000 after purchasing an additional 194,342 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on EXP. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $270.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Eagle Materials from $252.00 to $311.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Loop Capital dropped their target price on Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $305.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. StockNews.com lowered Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Raymond James cut Eagle Materials from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $289.78.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EXP opened at $283.79 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.61 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 12 month low of $145.03 and a 12 month high of $292.21. The business has a 50-day moving average of $247.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $246.35.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The construction company reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $608.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $622.06 million. Eagle Materials had a net margin of 21.65% and a return on equity of 37.10%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.55 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 15.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 17th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 17th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.35%. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.34%.

Insider Activity at Eagle Materials

In other Eagle Materials news, insider Eric Cribbs sold 1,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.06, for a total transaction of $512,838.06. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 13,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,861,385.22. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CFO Dale Craig Kesler sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.76, for a total transaction of $1,333,800.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 60,488 shares in the company, valued at $16,135,778.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric Cribbs sold 1,851 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.06, for a total value of $512,838.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 13,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,861,385.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.