Vanguard Group Inc. Cuts Stake in Eagle Materials Inc $EXP

Key Points

• Vanguard trimmed its stake in Eagle Materials by 2.6% in Q4, selling 81,086 shares and leaving it with 3,027,321 shares (9.44% ownership) worth about $625.7 million; institutional investors collectively own 96.07% of the stock.
• Q4 results missed estimates: Eagle reported EPS of $3.22 versus $3.32 expected and revenue of $555.96M (down 0.4% year-over-year), while maintaining strong profitability (ROE 28.96%, net margin 18.7%).
• Analyst view and dividend: The consensus rating is "Hold" with an average target of $228.82; the shares trade at a PE of 15.99 and the company pays a $1.00 annual dividend (0.5% yield, DPR 7.57%).

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,027,321 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 81,086 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.44% of Eagle Materials worth $625,687,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of EXP. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in Eagle Materials by 21.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,019 shares of the construction company's stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Eagle Materials by 102.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Eagle Materials by 5.8% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 101,969 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $20,609,000 after acquiring an additional 5,612 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Eagle Materials by 8.0% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,364 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC grew its position in Eagle Materials by 359.9% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 12,510 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,528,000 after acquiring an additional 9,790 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company's stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

Shares of EXP opened at $211.19 on Monday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $199.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $213.19. Eagle Materials Inc has a 12-month low of $171.99 and a 12-month high of $243.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a PE ratio of 15.99 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 4.27 and a quick ratio of 2.68.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.32 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $555.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $556.41 million. Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 28.96% and a net margin of 18.70%.The business's revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.59 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Eagle Materials Inc will post 12.72 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on EXP shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $208.00 price objective on shares of Eagle Materials in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Eagle Materials from $232.00 to $224.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on Eagle Materials from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Eagle Materials from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $228.82.

About Eagle Materials

Eagle Materials Inc NYSE: EXP is a Dallas, Texas–based manufacturer of building materials serving construction and heavy industry markets across the United States. The company's primary products include portland and masonry cements, gypsum wallboard, lightweight aggregate, paperboard packaging, and roofing granules. These product lines support a wide range of end uses—from residential and commercial buildings to infrastructure projects and industrial applications.

Since its spin-off from a major homebuilding company in 2004, Eagle Materials has grown through targeted facility expansions and strategic acquisitions.

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