Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Buys 1,465 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 36,695 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,465 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. owned 0.11% of Eagle Materials worth $9,055,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EXP. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,032 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Eagle Materials by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,275 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $654,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Eagle Materials by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 27,265 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,843,000 after buying an additional 2,871 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in Eagle Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC grew its holdings in Eagle Materials by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 63,682 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $18,318,000 after buying an additional 2,199 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

Eagle Materials stock opened at $217.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $7.23 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51 and a beta of 1.37. Eagle Materials Inc. has a one year low of $205.44 and a one year high of $321.93. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $239.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $266.11.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 20.91%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Eagle Materials news, Director Michael R. Nicolais acquired 310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,655 shares in the company, valued at $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 available through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on EXP shares. Citigroup lowered Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $242.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $330.00 to $310.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, November 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.