Clearbridge Investments LLC Sells 8,031 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Clearbridge Investments LLC decreased its holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 64,110 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 8,031 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 0.19% of Eagle Materials worth $15,820,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of EXP. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 53.0% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 205 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $81,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Eagle Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $170,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Michael R. Nicolais acquired 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,655 shares in the company, valued at $940,650.80. This represents a 9.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

EXP opened at $234.98 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $7.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.78 and a beta of 1.37. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 12 month low of $205.44 and a 12 month high of $321.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $234.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $264.67.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.97 by ($0.38). Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 20.91%. On average, research analysts expect that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on EXP. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $242.00 price objective on the stock. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $279.40.

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.