Skylands Capital LLC Raises Holdings in Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP)

Skylands Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 13.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 47,455 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,725 shares during the quarter. Eagle Materials comprises approximately 1.5% of Skylands Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Skylands Capital LLC owned about 0.14% of Eagle Materials worth $10,532,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $8,890,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,144 shares of the construction company's stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in Eagle Materials by 53.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 205 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Eagle Materials by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,273 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $808,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Eagle Materials by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company's stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $242.00 target price on Eagle Materials and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Eagle Materials from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $260.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $245.00 to $237.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $254.44.

Eagle Materials Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of Eagle Materials stock traded up $4.79 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $213.91. 389,035 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 351,547. Eagle Materials Inc has a 52-week low of $191.91 and a 52-week high of $321.93. The company has a fifty day moving average of $213.68 and a 200-day moving average of $228.38. The company has a current ratio of 2.73, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.55 and a beta of 1.26.

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

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Eagle Materials's 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.