Eagle Materials Reports Record Third Quarter EPS up 27% on Record Revenues

Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE: EXP) today reported financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2017 ended December 31, 2016. Notable items for the quarter include (all comparisons, unless otherwise noted, are with the prior year’s third quarter):

Company Third Quarter Results

• Record revenues of $302.4 million, up 9%
• Record Net Earnings of $56.4 million, up 23%
• Record Net Earnings per diluted share of $1.17, up 27%

Eagle’s construction products and building materials businesses performed exceptionally well during the quarter, with Eagle’s Cement, Paper and Concrete and Aggregates businesses all reporting record third quarter operating earnings. Third quarter cash flow from operations improved 18% and was used to fund capital improvements, pay dividends and reduce debt.

As previously announced, on September 11, 2016, Eagle entered into a definitive agreement with a subsidiary of CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V. ("Cemex") to purchase Cemex’s Fairborn, Ohio cement plant and related assets. The purchase price is $400 million, subject to customary post-closing adjustments. Eagle expects that the acquisition will increase its U.S. annual cement capacity by approximately 20% to nearly 6 million tons. The transaction is expected to close in Eagle’s fiscal fourth quarter. During the third quarter, Eagle incurred nearly $1 million of integration and related costs associated with the transaction. Eagle intends to finance the acquisition through a combination of cash on hand and borrowings under its existing bank credit facility.

Cement, Concrete and Aggregates

Cement revenues for the third quarter, including joint venture and intersegment revenues, totaled $138.0 million, which was 2% higher than the same quarter last year. The average net sales price for this quarter was $100.88 per ton, 4% higher than the same quarter last year. Wholly-owned average net sales prices improved 6% from the third quarter last year. The average net cement sales price at our Joint Venture declined year-over-year reflecting the shift from oil well cement to construction-grade cement over the past year; however, operating earnings improved 7% at the Joint Venture. Total Cement sales volumes for the quarter were 1.2 million tons, 1% lower than the same quarter a year ago, reflecting early winter conditions in our northern markets.

Operating earnings from Cement for the third quarter were a record $45.3 million and 8% greater than the same quarter a year ago. The earnings improvement was driven primarily by improved average net cement sales prices and lower raw material and energy costs.

Concrete and Aggregates reported revenues for the third quarter of $40.6 million, an increase of 29%. Third quarter operating earnings were $4.6 million, a 202% improvement from the same quarter a year ago, reflecting record quarterly concrete sales volumes and record third quarter concrete and aggregates sales prices.

Gypsum Wallboard and Paperboard

Gypsum Wallboard and Paperboard revenues for the third quarter totaled $146.9 million, which were 12% greater than the same quarter a year ago. The average Gypsum Wallboard net sales price this quarter was $153.34 per MSF, 3% less than the same quarter a year ago. Gypsum Wallboard sales volume for the quarter of 646 million square feet (MMSF) represents a 14% increase from the same quarter last year. Paperboard sales volumes for the quarter were 76,000 tons, 7% greater than the same quarter a year ago. The average Paperboard net sales price this quarter was $524.75 per ton, 3% greater than the same quarter a year ago.

Gypsum Wallboard and Paperboard reported third quarter operating earnings of $50.5 million, up 12% from the same quarter last year. The earnings improvement primarily reflects improved Gypsum Wallboard and Paperboard sales volumes.

Oil and Gas Proppants

Oil and Gas Proppants reported third quarter revenues of $7.1 million, a 16% decrease from the prior year’s third quarter primarily reflecting lower average net sales prices partially offset by a 7% increase in frac sand sales volumes from the prior year. The third quarter’s operating loss of $1.7 million includes depreciation, depletion and amortization of $5.0 million. During the third quarter, we also recognized a $4.1 million pre-tax gain on settlement associated with the termination of one of our long-term frac sand customer contracts.

Details of Financial Results

We conduct one of our cement plant operations, Texas Lehigh Cement Company LP, through a 50/50 joint venture (the “Joint Venture”). We utilize the equity method of accounting for our 50% interest in the Joint Venture. For segment reporting purposes only, we proportionately consolidate our 50% share of the Joint Venture’s revenues and operating earnings, which is consistent with the way management organizes the segments within the Company for making operating decisions and assessing performance.

In addition, for segment reporting purposes, we report intersegment revenues as a part of a segment’s total revenues. Intersegment sales are eliminated on the income statement. Refer to Attachment 3 for a reconciliation of the amounts referred to above.

About Eagle Materials Inc.

Eagle Materials Inc. manufactures and distributes Cement, Gypsum Wallboard, Recycled Paperboard, Concrete and Aggregates, and Oil and Gas Proppants from 40 facilities across the US. Eagle is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Eagle’s senior management will conduct a conference call to discuss the financial results, forward-looking information and other matters at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (7:30 a.m. Central Time) on January 24, 2017. The conference call will be webcast simultaneously on the Eagle Web site http://www.eaglematerials.com. A replay of the webcast and the presentation will be archived on that site for one year. For more information, contact Eagle at (214) 432-2000.

Forward-Looking Statements. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the context of the statement and generally arise when the Company is discussing its beliefs, estimates or expectations. These statements are not historical facts or guarantees of future performance but instead represent only the Company's belief at the time the statements were made regarding future events which are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the Company's control. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecast in such forward-looking statements. The principal risks and uncertainties that may affect the Company's actual performance include the following: the cyclical and seasonal nature of the Company's business; public infrastructure expenditures; adverse weather conditions; the fact that our products are commodities and that prices for our products are subject to material fluctuation due to market conditions and other factors beyond our control; availability of raw materials; changes in energy costs including, without limitation, natural gas, coal and oil; changes in the cost and availability of transportation; unexpected operational difficulties, including unexpected maintenance costs, equipment downtime and interruption of production; material nonpayment or non-performance by any of our key customers; fluctuations in activity in the oil and gas industry, including the level of fracturing activities and the demand for frac sand; inability to timely execute announced capacity expansions; difficulties and delays in the development of new business lines; governmental regulation and changes in governmental and public policy (including, without limitation, climate change regulation); possible outcomes of pending or future litigation or arbitration proceedings; changes in economic conditions specific to any one or more of the Company's markets; competition; a cyber-attack or data security breach; announced increases in capacity in the gypsum wallboard, cement and frac sand industries; changes in the demand for residential housing construction or commercial construction; risks related to pursuit of acquisitions, joint ventures and other transactions; general economic conditions; and interest rates. For example, increases in interest rates, decreases in demand for construction materials or increases in the cost of energy (including, without limitation, natural gas, coal and oil) could affect the revenues and operating earnings of our operations. In addition, changes in national or regional economic conditions and levels of infrastructure and construction spending could also adversely affect the Company's result of operations. These and other factors are described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 and the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2016. These reports are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. With respect to our proposed acquisition of certain assets from Cemex as described in this press release, factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events and developments to vary materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, factors that may create obstacles for or interfere with our ability to complete the acquisition within the expected timeframe or at all, failure to realize any expected synergies from or other benefits of the transaction, possible negative effects of announcement or consummation of the transaction, significant transaction or ownership transition costs, unknown liabilities or other adverse developments affecting the assets to be acquired and the target business, including the results of operations of the target business prior and after the closing, the effect on the target business of the same or similar factors discussed above to which our business is subject, including changes in market conditions in the construction industry and general economic and business conditions that may affect us following acquisition. All forward-looking statements made herein are made as of the date hereof, and the risk that actual results will differ materially from expectations expressed herein will increase with the passage of time. The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement to reflect future events or changes in the Company's expectations.

Attachment 1 Statement of Consolidated Earnings
Attachment 2 Revenues and Earnings by Lines of Business (Quarter and Nine Months)
Attachment 3 Sales Volume, Net Sales Prices and Intersegment and Cement Revenues
Attachment 4 Consolidated Balance Sheets
Attachment 5 Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization by Lines of Business

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