Cerity Partners LLC Sells 1,144 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Cerity Partners LLC lowered its stake in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,780 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,144 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $3,154,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of EXP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Eagle Materials by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,801,532 shares of the construction company's stock worth $444,546,000 after acquiring an additional 66,399 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 722,995 shares of the construction company's stock worth $178,450,000 after purchasing an additional 15,388 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 594,899 shares of the construction company's stock worth $146,797,000 after purchasing an additional 55,578 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Eagle Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $93,672,000. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Eagle Materials by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 322,384 shares of the construction company's stock worth $79,551,000 after buying an additional 2,216 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,655 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $940,650.80. This trade represents a 9.27 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EXP traded up $0.31 during trading on Friday, reaching $216.78. The stock had a trading volume of 352,364 shares, compared to its average volume of 332,942. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $223.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $258.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.48 and a beta of 1.25. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 52 week low of $201.61 and a 52 week high of $321.93.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.97 by ($0.38). Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 20.91%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $242.00 price target on the stock. 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. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $279.40.

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.