Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) Short Interest Up 21.5% in February

by · The Markets Daily

Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXPGet Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 1,815,395 shares, an increase of 21.5% from the February 12th total of 1,494,481 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 515,780 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Approximately 5.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Approximately 5.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 515,780 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on EXP. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Eagle Materials from $251.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Eagle Materials from $232.00 to $224.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $208.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.36.

View Our Latest Analysis on EXP

Eagle Materials Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE EXP traded up $0.95 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $187.42. The company had a trading volume of 393,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 436,500. Eagle Materials has a 1-year low of $184.08 and a 1-year high of $243.64. The company has a quick ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 4.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $220.17 and its 200-day moving average is $222.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.19 and a beta of 1.35.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXPGet Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by ($0.10). Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 28.96% and a net margin of 18.70%.The firm had revenue of $555.96 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $556.41 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.59 earnings per share. Eagle Materials’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Eagle Materials will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Eagle Materials

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 21.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,019 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $448,000 after buying an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in Eagle Materials by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,474 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Eagle Materials by 4.8% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,302 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $870,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 12,634 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,553,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 8,553 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,729,000 after buying an additional 596 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Eagle Materials Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Featured Stories