Short Interest in Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) Rises By 21.5%

Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) saw a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 1,815,395 shares, a growth of 21.5% from the February 12th total of 1,494,481 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 515,780 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Approximately 5.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 5.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 515,780 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days.

Eagle Materials Trading Up 0.7%

EXP traded up $1.29 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $188.52. 663,726 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 503,340. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.27 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 4.27 and a quick ratio of 2.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $220.17 and a 200 day moving average of $222.07. Eagle Materials has a 12-month low of $184.08 and a 12-month high of $243.64.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $555.96 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $556.41 million. Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 28.96% and a net margin of 18.70%.Eagle Materials’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.59 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.57%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXP. Baupost Group LLC MA boosted its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 26.1% during the fourth quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 1,185,248 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $244,967,000 after purchasing an additional 245,588 shares in the last quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC lifted its position in Eagle Materials by 36.0% during the second quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 830,284 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $167,809,000 after buying an additional 219,627 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 615,250 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $143,378,000 after buying an additional 3,505 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 610,645 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $126,217,000 after buying an additional 7,749 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 534,380 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $124,532,000 after buying an additional 13,104 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on EXP. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Eagle Materials in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $232.00 to $224.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on Eagle Materials from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $208.00 target price on Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Eagle Materials currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.36.

Eagle Materials Company Profile

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.