CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Sold by Steamboat Capital Partners LLC

Steamboat Capital Partners LLC decreased its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 38,095 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 773 shares during the period. CRH accounts for about 1.1% of Steamboat Capital Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Steamboat Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $3,525,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CRH. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in CRH by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 2,335 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its position in CRH by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 755 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in CRH by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,810 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of CRH by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,367 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $405,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of CRH by 18.3% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 971 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Loop Capital began coverage on CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $112.58.

CRH Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:CRH opened at $98.98 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.87 billion, a PE ratio of 19.80, 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. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $91.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.32.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.06). CRH had a net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. The firm had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that CRH plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.