Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Sells 14,677 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lowered its stake in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 8.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 158,102 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 14,677 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.47% of Eagle Materials worth $34,381,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EXP. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Eagle Materials by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 332,534 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $67,451,000 after buying an additional 3,502 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Eagle Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $290,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Eagle Materials by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 716,585 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $145,356,000 after purchasing an additional 14,416 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP bought a new stake in Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth $225,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 4,490 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $911,000 after purchasing an additional 697 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Dale Craig Kesler sold 5,000 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.76, for a total value of $1,333,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 60,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,135,778.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Eric Cribbs sold 1,851 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.06, for a total transaction of $512,838.06. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,937 shares in the company, valued at $3,861,385.22. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Dale Craig Kesler sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.76, for a total transaction of $1,333,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 60,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,135,778.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Up 1.0 %

NYSE:EXP opened at $252.72 on Thursday. Eagle Materials Inc. has a one year low of $145.03 and a one year high of $279.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $8.56 billion, a PE ratio of 18.56 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $243.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $245.80.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The construction company reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $608.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $622.06 million. Eagle Materials had a net margin of 21.65% and a return on equity of 37.10%. Eagle Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.55 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 15.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 17th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 17th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on EXP shares. Raymond James cut Eagle Materials from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com downgraded Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $252.00 to $311.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $305.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $270.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $289.78.

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.