Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Eagle Materials has a consensus analyst recommendation of Hold from 13 analysts (1 sell, 10 hold, 2 buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $228.36.
• The company’s most recent quarter showed EPS of $3.22, missing estimates of $3.32, with revenue of about $556 million slightly below expectations and down 0.4% year‑over‑year; analysts project $14.39 EPS for the current year.
• Eagle Materials declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 (annualized $1.00, yield 0.5%) and has very high institutional ownership (~96.07%), while trading at a market cap of $6.28 billion and a P/E of 15.12.

Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $228.3636.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $232.00 to $224.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $251.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Eagle Materials from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Eagle Materials from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

NYSE:EXP opened at $199.73 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 4.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $6.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.12 and a beta of 1.39. Eagle Materials has a fifty-two week low of $171.99 and a fifty-two week high of $243.64. The firm's 50 day moving average is $205.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $216.01.

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

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eagle Materials

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 130.9% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 127 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 266.7% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Eagle Materials by 389.3% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 137 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company's stock.

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.

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