Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Reduces Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lowered its position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 15.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 80,290 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 14,957 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $7,428,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter worth about $1,391,245,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in CRH by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,351,050 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,329,796,000 after acquiring an additional 1,148,708 shares during the last quarter. AGF Management Ltd. lifted its stake in CRH by 4,264.7% in the 4th quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 1,034,527 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $95,714,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010,825 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,609,451 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $796,546,000 after purchasing an additional 826,758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of CRH by 48.2% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,484,746 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $231,206,000 after purchasing an additional 808,061 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Stock Performance

NYSE:CRH opened at $88.09 on Friday. CRH plc has a fifty-two week low of $71.18 and a fifty-two week high of $110.97. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $99.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.62, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CRH shares. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $109.64.

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.