Baird Financial Group Inc. Raises Position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 21.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,285 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,692 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in CRH were worth $1,969,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 2,335 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 20.4% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 755 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,810 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $630,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,367 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $405,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 971 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of CRH stock opened at $98.77 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $91.35 and a 200-day moving average of $96.24. The company has a market capitalization of $66.73 billion, a PE ratio of 19.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its 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). CRH had a net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. The business had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that CRH plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. CRH’s payout ratio is 23.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRH has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $112.36.

About CRH

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.