Ausbil Investment Management Ltd Boosts Stock Holdings in Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP)

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 469.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,951 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,433 shares during the quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $655,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Sprott Inc. lifted its position in Eagle Materials by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 1,695 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $418,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 26.8% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 246 shares of the construction company's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,086 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 973 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on EXP shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $241.00 price objective on Eagle Materials and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Stephens set a $255.00 target price on Eagle Materials and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Loop Capital decreased their price target on Eagle Materials from $245.00 to $237.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Eagle Materials from $260.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $242.00 price objective on shares of Eagle Materials and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Eagle Materials presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $254.44.

Eagle Materials Trading Up 1.0%

EXP stock traded up $2.02 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $202.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 323,105 shares, compared to its average volume of 349,130. Eagle Materials Inc has a 1 year low of $191.91 and a 1 year high of $321.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.75 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $214.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $230.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 2.73.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 20th. The construction company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.34 by ($0.26). Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 32.71% and a net margin of 20.50%. The company had revenue of $470.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $483.14 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.24 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Eagle Materials Inc will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.49%. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.27%.

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.