Howard Capital Management Inc. Has $329,000 Position in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

Howard Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) by 13.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,743 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 575 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in CRH were worth $329,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CRH. Blair William & Co. IL grew its holdings in CRH by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 3,245 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of CRH by 214.3% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of CRH by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,195,372 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $665,716,000 after purchasing an additional 820,479 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 2,558 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pitcairn Co. increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 6,488 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $600,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on CRH. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $105.00 price target (down previously from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Loop Capital assumed coverage on CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $112.82.

CRH Trading Down 1.0%

CRH stock opened at $95.53 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.26. The business has a 50-day moving average of $93.21 and a 200-day moving average of $94.80. Crh Plc has a 1 year low of $74.03 and a 1 year high of $110.97.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.06). CRH had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 15.88%. The firm had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.52%.

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.