Larson Financial Group LLC Buys 176 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 118.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 325 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $66,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Monument Capital Management raised its stake in Eagle Materials by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 11,762 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,386,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in Eagle Materials by 63.2% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 7,230 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,467,000 after buying an additional 2,800 shares during the last quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its stake in Eagle Materials by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 11,427 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,318,000 after buying an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Eagle Materials by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,464 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,514,000 after buying an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $1,988,000. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Eagle Materials Stock Up 0.3 %

Eagle Materials stock opened at $253.93 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.75 billion, a PE ratio of 17.92 and a beta of 1.34. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 12 month low of $143.44 and a 12 month high of $272.72. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $255.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $213.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The construction company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.56 by $0.16. Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 40.05% and a net margin of 22.24%. The firm had revenue of $558.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $537.23 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.06%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Matt Newby sold 3,165 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.76, for a total value of $708,200.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 21,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,882,219.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Tony Thompson sold 638 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.07, for a total transaction of $149,974.66. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 14,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,383,362.51. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Matt Newby sold 3,165 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.76, for a total value of $708,200.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 21,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,882,219.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,090 shares of company stock valued at $2,401,577 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EXP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stephens raised their price objective on Eagle Materials from $250.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Eagle Materials from $238.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Loop Capital upgraded Eagle Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $240.00 in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Raymond James raised their price objective on Eagle Materials from $170.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Eagle Materials from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Eagle Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $263.50.

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.