Lbp Am Sa Buys Shares of 18,635 CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Lbp Am Sa bought a new stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 18,635 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,724,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position 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 in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 22.1% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 32,557 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,012,000 after acquiring an additional 5,889 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,450,632 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $226,732,000 after acquiring an additional 232,977 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 31.8% in the 4th 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 stake in CRH by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 72,778 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,733,000 after buying an additional 12,076 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Stock Performance

NYSE:CRH opened at $97.08 on Friday. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $71.18 and a 1 year high of $110.97. The stock has a market cap of $65.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.42, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a fifty day moving average of $99.37 and a 200-day moving average of $96.09.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is 20.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup lowered their price objective on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $109.25.

CRH Company 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.