Capstone Investment Advisors LLC Acquires New Shares in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 62,723 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $5,803,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,391,245,000. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of CRH by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 40,843,362 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,781,004,000 after buying an additional 4,687,345 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in CRH by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,553,194,000 after buying an additional 2,437,868 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in CRH by 103.5% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,454,425 shares of the construction company's stock worth $227,083,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248,163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in CRH by 173.4% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,722,786 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $159,392,000 after acquiring an additional 1,092,630 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Loop Capital began coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CRH presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $112.36.

CRH Stock Up 2.3 %

CRH stock opened at $98.51 on Monday. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97. The company has a market cap of $66.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $92.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.11.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 positive change from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. CRH's dividend payout ratio is 22.66%.

CRH Company 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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