KBC Group NV Raises Stock Position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 1,621.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,616 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,651 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $4,100,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EXP. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Eagle Materials by 42.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,226 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Asio Capital LLC grew its stake in Eagle Materials by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 9,608 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,371,000 after acquiring an additional 691 shares during the last quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Eagle Materials by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 2,324 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $574,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Eagle Materials by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 8,656 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,136,000 after acquiring an additional 529 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Eagle Materials by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,189 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,034,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

NYSE:EXP opened at $259.48 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $8.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.32 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $265.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $269.68. Eagle Materials Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $211.44 and a fifty-two week high of $321.93.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.97 by ($0.38). Eagle Materials had a net margin of 21.32% and a return on equity of 35.79%. Analysts expect that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 15.11 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given 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 Monday, December 16th. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is currently 7.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on EXP. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Eagle Materials from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $277.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $296.80.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Richard Ross Stewart sold 3,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.30, for a total transaction of $1,074,173.10. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $330,330. This trade represents a 76.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michael Haack sold 11,888 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 85,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,644,315.50. This represents a 12.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 16,866 shares of company stock valued at $5,205,311. Company 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.