Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, one has assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $226.00.

EXP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $246.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Eagle Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $217.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Wednesday, May 20th.

Eagle Materials Trading Up 1.3%

EXP opened at $204.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $6.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.57 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 3.66, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Eagle Materials has a 12 month low of $171.99 and a 12 month high of $245.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $213.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $211.08.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 19th. The construction company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.32. Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 28.27% and a net margin of 18.36%.The firm had revenue of $479.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $451.99 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.00 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials will post 12.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXP. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Eagle Materials by 9.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,015 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank grew its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 38.3% during the second quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 589 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $133,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials during the first quarter worth about $1,080,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 4.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,804 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $721,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the first quarter valued at about $212,000. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.