Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 359,207 Shares of Crh Plc $CRH

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) by 11.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,662,527 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 359,207 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.40% of CRH worth $279,885,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CRH. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in CRH by 165.7% in the 1st quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 5,940 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 3,704 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of CRH by 47.0% during the first quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,136 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,717,000 after buying an additional 4,840 shares during the last quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CRH during the first quarter valued at about $30,303,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of CRH by 27.4% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 14,584 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,533,000 after buying an additional 3,134 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of CRH by 4.2% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 22,385 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,353,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE CRH opened at $103.81 on Wednesday. Crh Plc has a twelve month low of $91.22 and a twelve month high of $131.55. The stock has a market cap of $69.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.22, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.32. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $106.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.65.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The construction company reported ($0.20) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.22) by $0.02. CRH had a net margin of 9.65% and a return on equity of 15.37%. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.07 billion. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. CRH has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.600-6.050 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.92 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. CRH’s payout ratio is currently 28.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRH has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on CRH from $135.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered CRH from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on CRH from $149.00 to $165.60 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $139.00 target price on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.19.

CRH Company Profile

CRH plc, originally formed as Cement Roadstone Holdings in 1970 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a global building materials group. The company has grown from its Irish roots into one of the largest international suppliers of construction materials, expanding primarily through acquisitions and regional business development. CRH operates an integrated network of manufacturing and distribution businesses that serve both public and private construction markets.

CRH’s core activities include the production and distribution of aggregates, cement, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and other bulk materials, together with a broad range of value-added building products such as precast concrete, masonry, bricks, roofing products, pipe and drainage systems, and construction accessories.