Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) Shares Purchased by Covea Finance

Covea Finance increased its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 16.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,000 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Covea Finance's holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $3,107,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in Eagle Materials by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 22,400 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,527,000 after buying an additional 1,800 shares during the period. ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,778,000. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in Eagle Materials by 329.5% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 24,296 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,995,000 after acquiring an additional 18,639 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $8,890,000. Finally, Perennial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Eagle Materials during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,147,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on EXP shares. Stephens set a $255.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Eagle Materials from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $241.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $245.00 to $237.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $254.44.

Eagle Materials Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of Eagle Materials stock traded up $1.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $196.59. The company had a trading volume of 470,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 348,551. The company's 50-day moving average is $215.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $232.28. Eagle Materials Inc has a twelve month low of $191.91 and a twelve month high of $321.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 2.73 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $6.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.29 and a beta of 1.28.

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

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio 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.