Solstein Capital LLC Invests $102,000 in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Solstein Capital LLC bought a new stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,095 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CRH by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,163,930 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,624,719,000 after purchasing an additional 145,101 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in CRH by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,553,194,000 after buying an additional 2,437,868 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in CRH during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,391,245,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in CRH by 4.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,139,233 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,218,532,000 after buying an additional 618,786 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of CRH by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,609,451 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $796,546,000 after acquiring an additional 826,758 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

CRH Trading Down 6.6 %

Shares of NYSE:CRH opened at $80.63 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $54.53 billion, a PE ratio of 16.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $98.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.61. CRH plc has a 12-month low of $71.18 and a 12-month high of $110.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. This is an increase from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. CRH’s payout ratio is presently 15.51%.

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.