Crh Plc $CRH Shares Sold by Boston Common Asset Management LLC

Boston Common Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 244,413 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 12,265 shares during the quarter. CRH makes up approximately 1.5% of Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $30,503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of CRH by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 794 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of CRH by 3.0% in the second quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 3,028 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of CRH by 34.8% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 356 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its stake in CRH by 2.4% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 4,126 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $495,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of CRH by 87.6% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 212 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRH has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on CRH from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on CRH from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Citigroup upped their target price on CRH from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Monday, December 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.86.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of CRH stock opened at $101.64 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.92 billion, a PE ratio of 18.41, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.33. Crh Plc has a 52 week low of $76.75 and a 52 week high of $131.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $115.91 and its 200-day moving average is $118.20.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The construction company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.20 by ($0.68). CRH had a net margin of 10.02% and a return on equity of 15.98%. The business had revenue of $9.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.02 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Crh Plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This is a boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. CRH’s payout ratio is presently 28.26%.

CRH Profile

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.