Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) Trading Down 5.4%

Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) shares dropped 5.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $259.00 and last traded at $259.13. Approximately 75,965 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 282,908 shares. The stock had previously closed at $273.95.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on EXP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $200.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Eagle Materials from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Stephens boosted their price target on Eagle Materials from $250.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Eagle Materials from $244.00 to $311.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Eagle Materials from $238.00 to $273.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $263.50.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 2.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29 and a beta of 1.35. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $259.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.40.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In other news, EVP Matt Newby sold 2,940 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.15, for a total transaction of $738,381.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 21,819 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,479,841.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in Eagle Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $544,000. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 61.6% in the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 509,605 shares of the construction company's stock worth $138,485,000 after buying an additional 194,342 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 1.1% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 351,258 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $95,455,000 after buying an additional 3,897 shares during the period. Hood River Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Eagle Materials by 4.3% during the first quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 253,985 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $69,020,000 after buying an additional 10,561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Eagle Materials by 1.7% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 40,574 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $11,025,000 after buying an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Eagle Materials Company 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; 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.

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