CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Purchased by LMR Partners LLP

LMR Partners LLP grew its position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 233,780 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,327 shares during the quarter. LMR Partners LLP’s holdings in CRH were worth $21,629,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CRH. Norges Bank bought a new stake in CRH in the fourth quarter worth about $1,391,245,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of CRH by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 40,843,362 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,781,004,000 after purchasing an additional 4,687,345 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CRH by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,553,194,000 after purchasing an additional 2,437,868 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of CRH by 72.2% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,717,597 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $436,472,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in CRH by 931.3% during the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 1,977,992 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $183,004,000 after buying an additional 1,786,189 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Loop Capital initiated coverage on CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $112.36.

CRH Stock Performance

CRH stock opened at $94.70 on Monday. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97. The firm has a market cap of $63.98 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $91.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.20.

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

CRH Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.52%.

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.