Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) Coverage Initiated at Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set a “hold” rating and a $242.00 price target on the construction company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 9.36% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on EXP. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective 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. Loop Capital downgraded Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, November 25th. Citigroup downgraded Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Eagle Materials currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $292.40.

Eagle Materials Stock Up 2.9 %

Shares of EXP opened at $221.29 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $245.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $269.37. Eagle Materials has a one year low of $208.02 and a one year high of $321.93. The company has a market capitalization of $7.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.81 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 EPS 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, sell-side analysts predict that Eagle Materials will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Eagle Materials news, Director Michael R. Nicolais acquired 310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $257.36 per share, with a total value of $79,781.60. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $940,650.80. This represents a 9.27 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eagle Materials

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,032 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 1.4% in the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,981 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $858,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Financial Strategies Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 4.4% during the third quarter. Financial Strategies Group Inc. now owns 1,022 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $304,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sprott Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 1,695 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $418,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 973 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.