Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $299.35 and last traded at $299.35, with a volume of 7470 shares. The stock had previously closed at $297.40.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on EXP shares. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Eagle Materials from $309.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Eagle Materials from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Eagle Materials from $252.00 to $311.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Raymond James lowered Eagle Materials from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.78.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $10.30 billion, a PE ratio of 21.84 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $265.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $250.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

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

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 17th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 17th. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.34%.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In related news, Director George John Damiris sold 1,000 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.62, for a total value of $277,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,943 shares in the company, valued at $2,205,135.66. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director George John Damiris sold 1,000 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.62, for a total transaction of $277,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,943 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,205,135.66. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Eric Cribbs sold 1,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.06, for a total value of $512,838.06. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,861,385.22. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,851 shares of company stock valued at $2,124,258. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eagle Materials

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Eagle Materials by 79.2% in the first quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 95 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Eagle Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Eagle Materials during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in Eagle Materials by 132.7% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 114 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Eagle Materials during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Eagle Materials

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.