John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Eagle Materials Inc $EXP

Key Points

• John G Ullman & Associates Inc. increased its stake in Eagle Materials Inc. by 23.2%, owning 15,775 shares valued at approximately $3.19 million by the end of Q2.
• Eagle Materials reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $3.76 for the most recent quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $3.73, with a revenue of $634.69 million.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $1.00 and a yield of 0.4%.

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 23.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,775 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,975 shares during the period. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.'s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $3,188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its position in Eagle Materials by 57.2% during the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 611,745 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $123,640,000 after purchasing an additional 222,537 shares during the period. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $202,000. Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,980 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,613,000 after buying an additional 1,062 shares in the last quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 44,841 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $9,063,000 after buying an additional 2,003 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RFG Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 11,034 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,230,000 after buying an additional 683 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company's stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Down 0.5%

EXP stock opened at $237.28 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $232.98 and a 200 day moving average of $222.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.70 billion, a PE ratio of 17.47 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 2.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Eagle Materials Inc has a 52 week low of $191.91 and a 52 week high of $321.93.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $3.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.03. Eagle Materials had a net margin of 19.81% and a return on equity of 31.21%. The company had revenue of $634.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $611.52 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Eagle Materials Inc will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. Eagle Materials's payout ratio is presently 7.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EXP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $220.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Eagle Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $230.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Eagle Materials has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $255.40.

About Eagle Materials

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.

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