Arizona State Retirement System Has $23.65 Million Stock Position in Crh Plc $CRH

Arizona State Retirement System decreased its stake in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 189,463 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 7,937 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in CRH were worth $23,645,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in CRH by 158.5% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,670 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $763,000 after acquiring an additional 5,316 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in CRH by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,178 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,159,000 after acquiring an additional 658 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in CRH by 58.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,279 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $393,000 after acquiring an additional 1,579 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in CRH by 18.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 228,288 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $20,957,000 after acquiring an additional 36,238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in CRH by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 316,818 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,084,000 after acquiring an additional 2,348 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:CRH opened at $117.99 on Friday. Crh Plc has a 1-year low of $86.82 and a 1-year high of $131.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.84 billion, a PE ratio of 21.37, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $111.80 and its 200-day moving average is $117.90.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The construction company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by ($0.68). CRH had a net margin of 10.02% and a return on equity of 15.98%. The company had revenue of $9.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Crh Plc will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CRH shares. DA Davidson set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group raised their price target on CRH from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on CRH from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on CRH from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on CRH from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CRH presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $139.54.

About CRH

CRH plc, originally formed as Cement Roadstone Holdings in 1970 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a global building materials group. The company has grown from its Irish roots into one of the largest international suppliers of construction materials, expanding primarily through acquisitions and regional business development. CRH operates an integrated network of manufacturing and distribution businesses that serve both public and private construction markets.

CRH’s core activities include the production and distribution of aggregates, cement, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and other bulk materials, together with a broad range of value-added building products such as precast concrete, masonry, bricks, roofing products, pipe and drainage systems, and construction accessories.