First Dallas Securities Inc. Buys 917 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

First Dallas Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 15,200 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 917 shares during the period. Eagle Materials comprises 1.5% of First Dallas Securities Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. First Dallas Securities Inc.’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $3,751,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EXP. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $64,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $81,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in Eagle Materials by 155.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 434 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $125,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 20.6% in the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 760 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $188,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

Shares of EXP stock opened at $253.57 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.44 billion, a PE ratio of 18.11 and a beta of 1.37. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 52-week low of $211.44 and a 52-week high of $321.93. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $263.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $270.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.6 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.39%. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on EXP shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $277.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup lowered shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michael Haack sold 11,888 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.50, for a total value of $3,691,224.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 85,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,644,315.50. This trade represents a 12.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Tony Thompson sold 1,401 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.00, for a total value of $439,914.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,148,568. The trade was a 9.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 16,866 shares of company stock worth $5,205,311. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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, 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.