Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 506.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 50,521 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 42,193 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $4,674,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CRH. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its stake in shares of CRH by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth $57,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of CRH by 111.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 668 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CRH Trading Down 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE CRH opened at $94.79 on Friday. CRH plc has a 12 month low of $71.18 and a 12 month high of $110.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50-day moving average of $99.81 and a 200-day moving average of $96.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. CRH’s payout ratio is presently 15.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. 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 on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, CRH has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price 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.