Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Shares Sold by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,314 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 121 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of EXP. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Eagle Materials by 78.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,948 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,915,000 after purchasing an additional 16,645 shares during the last quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA increased its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 46.2% in the third quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 500,273 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $143,904,000 after buying an additional 158,171 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter worth $8,890,000. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials in the 3rd quarter worth about $4,041,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Eagle Materials by 242.4% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,789 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,922,000 after acquiring an additional 5,514 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:EXP opened at $228.48 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $7.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.32 and a beta of 1.37. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $238.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $265.99. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 12-month low of $205.44 and a 12-month high of $321.93.

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

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In other Eagle Materials news, Director Michael R. Nicolais bought 310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $257.36 per share, with a total value of $79,781.60. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,655 shares in the company, valued at approximately $940,650.80. The trade was a 9.27 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded 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. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup downgraded Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Eagle Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $242.00 price objective for the company. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $286.40.

Eagle Materials 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.