Van ECK Associates Corp Acquires 2,993 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 39.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,537 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,993 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $2,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Eagle Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at about $53,000. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Eagle Materials by 112.6% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 321 shares of the construction company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eagle Materials

In other Eagle Materials news, EVP Matt Newby sold 2,940 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.15, for a total value of $738,381.00. Following the sale, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EXP traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $267.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 207,997 shares, compared to its average volume of 289,073. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.21 billion, a PE ratio of 18.86 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $257.72 and a 200 day moving average of $220.28. Eagle Materials Inc. has a twelve month low of $145.03 and a twelve month high of $272.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on EXP shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Raymond James raised their target price on Eagle Materials from $170.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Stephens boosted their price target on Eagle Materials from $250.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Eagle Materials from $200.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $244.00 to $311.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $263.50.

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; 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.