Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) Short Interest Update

Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,589,269 shares, a growth of 31.2% from the November 30th total of 1,211,708 shares. Approximately 5.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 354,236 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.5 days. Based on an average daily volume of 354,236 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.5 days. Approximately 5.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David E. Rush bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $208.08 per share, with a total value of $208,080.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 4,173 shares in the company, valued at $868,317.84. This represents a 31.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Eagle Materials

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Eagle Materials by 130.9% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 127 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials in the third quarter worth $30,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 7,750.0% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 157 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. MAI Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 3,060.0% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 158 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $210.00 target price (down previously from $280.00) on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $226.00 price objective on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $245.00 to $230.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $246.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Monday, October 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $236.30.

Eagle Materials Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:EXP traded down $2.23 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $210.35. The stock had a trading volume of 401,750 shares, compared to its average volume of 423,939. The company has a market capitalization of $6.74 billion, a PE ratio of 15.52 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $216.38 and its 200 day moving average is $221.90. Eagle Materials has a 12 month low of $191.91 and a 12 month high of $265.42.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The construction company reported $4.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.35 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $638.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $635.55 million. Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 30.13% and a net margin of 19.41%.Eagle Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.31 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 12th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.38%.

About Eagle Materials

Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) is a Dallas, Texas–based manufacturer of building materials serving construction and heavy industry markets across the United States. The company’s primary products include portland and masonry cements, gypsum wallboard, lightweight aggregate, paperboard packaging, and roofing granules. These product lines support a wide range of end uses—from residential and commercial buildings to infrastructure projects and industrial applications.

Since its spin-off from a major homebuilding company in 2004, Eagle Materials has grown through targeted facility expansions and strategic acquisitions.