Benjamin Edwards Inc. Raises Stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 15.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 19,119 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,558 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in CRH were worth $1,769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CRH in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 214.3% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its holdings in CRH by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC increased its stake in CRH by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 559 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Loop Capital began coverage on CRH in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, CRH has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $112.36.

CRH Stock Down 2.3 %

CRH stock opened at $91.75 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $91.58 and its 200 day moving average is $96.10. The company has a market capitalization of $62.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.35, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. CRH had a net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. As a group, equities analysts expect that CRH plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. CRH’s payout ratio is 22.66%.

CRH Profile

CRH plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides building materials solutions in Ireland and internationally. It operates through four segments: Americas Materials Solutions, Americas Building Solutions, Europe Materials Solutions, and Europe Building Solutions. The company provides solutions for the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure and commercial and residential buildings; and produces and sells aggregates, cement, readymixed concrete, and asphalt, as well as provides paving and construction services.