New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Invests $1.83 Million in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 7,413 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,829,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 34.6% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 21,828 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,279,000 after buying an additional 5,614 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in Eagle Materials in the third quarter valued at about $241,000. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its position in Eagle Materials by 60.0% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 2,293 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $660,000 after purchasing an additional 860 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in Eagle Materials in the third quarter worth about $206,000. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co bought a new position in Eagle Materials during the third quarter worth about $713,000. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

Shares of EXP stock opened at $221.02 on Monday. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 1 year low of $205.44 and a 1 year high of $321.93. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $236.43 and its 200-day moving average is $265.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.79 and a beta of 1.37.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.97 by ($0.38). Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 20.91%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup cut Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $242.00 price target for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $286.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Eagle Materials news, Director Michael R. Nicolais acquired 310 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $257.36 per share, with a total value of $79,781.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,655 shares in the company, valued at $940,650.80. The trade was a 9.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.