Nuveen Asset Management LLC Sells 86,204 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,633,084 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 86,204 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $613,737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of CRH by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,562,962 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $144,605,000 after purchasing an additional 114,072 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of CRH by 22.1% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 32,557 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,012,000 after buying an additional 5,889 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in CRH by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,450,632 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $226,732,000 after buying an additional 232,977 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in CRH by 31.8% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 23,253 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,151,000 after acquiring an additional 5,610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in CRH by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 72,778 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,733,000 after acquiring an additional 12,076 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CRH Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of CRH stock opened at $98.21 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $91.34 and a 200-day moving average of $96.26. The stock has a market cap of $66.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.64, a PEG 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 16.35% and a net margin of 9.86%. Sell-side analysts forecast that CRH plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors 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 yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CRH has been the subject of a number of research reports. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $114.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CRH has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $112.58.

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.