Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV Buys 242,534 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV boosted its stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 298.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 323,756 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 242,534 shares during the quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV's holdings in CRH were worth $30,297,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock traded up $1.15 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $98.98. The company had a trading volume of 3,180,808 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,795,153. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $91.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.32. The firm has a market cap of $66.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33. CRH plc has a 12-month low of $71.18 and a 12-month high of $110.97.

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

CRH Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. CRH's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CRH has been the topic of a number of research reports. Loop Capital initiated coverage on CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on CRH in a report on Tuesday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $112.58.

About CRH

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.