Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Increases Stock Position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 592,069 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,988 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 1.78% of Eagle Materials worth $146,099,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Eagle Materials by 78.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,948 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $10,915,000 after buying an additional 16,645 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $8,890,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 5,514 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 60.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,735,133 shares of the construction company's stock worth $499,111,000 after buying an additional 652,836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Eagle Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,115,000. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

NYSE EXP traded up $4.79 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $221.04. 96,138 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 386,597. 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 company has a market cap of $7.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.80 and a beta of 1.25. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 12-month low of $201.61 and a 12-month high of $321.93. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $221.69 and a 200 day moving average of $257.10.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 20.91% and a return on equity of 34.14%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective 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. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Eagle Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $242.00 target price for the company. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of Eagle Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $274.40.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 approximately $940,650.80. The trade was a 9.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

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.