Tredje AP fonden Raises Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Tredje AP fonden lifted its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 50.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 135,558 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 45,558 shares during the period. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in CRH were worth $12,542,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its stake in shares of CRH by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 2,335 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in CRH by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 971 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Manitou Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in CRH by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Manitou Investment Management Ltd. now owns 11,203 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its position in CRH by 70.7% in the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 391 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Graypoint LLC boosted its position in CRH by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 3,315 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $307,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CRH shares. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup dropped their target price on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $109.25.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of CRH stock opened at $94.68 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $99.29 and a 200 day moving average of $95.98. CRH plc has a 12 month low of $71.18 and a 12 month high of $110.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. This is a boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.87%.

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.