Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Increases Stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 26.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 356,231 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 75,454 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned approximately 0.05% of CRH worth $32,958,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its holdings 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 worth $33,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new position in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on CRH in a report on Tuesday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CRH currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.58.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of CRH stock traded up $0.82 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $98.65. 1,432,873 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,781,665. CRH plc has a 12-month low of $71.18 and a 12-month high of $110.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.73, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $96.29.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. The business had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.77 billion. On average, analysts forecast that CRH plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. CRH's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.52%.

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.