Albar Capital Partners LLP Purchases Shares of 178,768 CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Albar Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 178,768 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $16,540,000. CRH accounts for 4.0% of Albar Capital Partners LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in CRH by 214.3% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its position in CRH by 87.7% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC grew its holdings in CRH by 46.3% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 559 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CRH currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.36.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of CRH stock opened at $96.38 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $92.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.03. CRH plc has a one year low of $71.18 and a one year high of $110.97. The stock has a market cap of $65.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a boost from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. CRH's payout ratio is 22.66%.

CRH 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.

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