Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Sells 1,187 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P reduced its stake in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 80,782 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,187 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned about 0.24% of Eagle Materials worth $19,934,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Eagle Materials by 53.0% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 205 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $81,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Eagle Materials by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $167,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Eagle Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $170,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais acquired 310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $257.36 per share, with a total value of $79,781.60. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $940,650.80. The trade was a 9.27 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

NYSE:EXP opened at $221.02 on Friday. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 52-week low of $205.44 and a 52-week high of $321.93. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $236.43 and a 200 day moving average of $265.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 2.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.79 and a beta of 1.37.

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

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.45%. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EXP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $242.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of 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 dropped their target price on Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $286.40.

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.