Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Sold by Renaissance Investment Group LLC

Renaissance Investment Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) by 0.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 137,890 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,227 shares during the quarter. CRH comprises 2.9% of Renaissance Investment Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Renaissance Investment Group LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $12,130,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CRH in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in CRH in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its holdings in CRH by 214.3% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $105.00 target price (down previously from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CRH currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $112.82.

CRH Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of CRH stock opened at $98.72 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.70 billion, a PE ratio of 20.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.26. Crh Plc has a 52-week low of $74.03 and a 52-week high of $110.97. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $93.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.74.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last issued 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 company had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. CRH had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 15.88%. Analysts expect that Crh Plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

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

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.