Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Has $29.63 Million Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 49.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 320,213 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 105,299 shares during the period. CRH makes up about 1.0% of Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC's holdings in CRH were worth $29,626,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its stake in shares of CRH by 214.3% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its holdings in shares of CRH by 87.7% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRH has been the topic of a number of research reports. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Loop Capital started coverage on CRH in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.58.

CRH Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE CRH traded up $0.33 during trading on Thursday, hitting $97.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,222,608 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,805,253. CRH plc has a 52 week low of $71.18 and a 52 week high of $110.97. The firm has a market cap of $66.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $91.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.27.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). CRH had a return on equity of 16.35% and a net margin of 9.86%. The company had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that CRH plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. CRH's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.52%.

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.