Trexquant Investment LP Invests $5.01 Million in Crh Plc $CRH

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP acquired 56,982 shares of CRH Plc, valued at approximately $5,013,000, marking a significant investment in the construction company's stock.
• CRH reported $1.94 earnings per share for the last quarter, which missed analysts' consensus estimates, while revenue increased by 5.7% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, representing an annual yield of 1.3%, with a dividend payout ratio of 23.22%.

Trexquant Investment LP bought a new position in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 56,982 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $5,013,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in CRH by 62.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 63,755,468 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,608,567,000 after buying an additional 24,591,538 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of CRH by 43.2% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,303,788 shares of the construction company's stock worth $906,424,000 after purchasing an additional 3,108,416 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of CRH by 2.6% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,830,489 shares of the construction company's stock worth $776,818,000 after purchasing an additional 221,038 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of CRH by 5.9% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 8,822,801 shares of the construction company's stock worth $775,349,000 after purchasing an additional 493,796 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRH during the first quarter worth $597,888,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Price Performance

NYSE:CRH traded down $0.38 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $111.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,045,075 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,485,070. Crh Plc has a 1 year low of $76.75 and a 1 year high of $114.40. The stock has a market cap of $75.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.33, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.31. The business's fifty day moving average is $101.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.30.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.06 by ($0.12). CRH had a net margin of 9.09% and a return on equity of 15.68%. The business had revenue of $10.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.88 earnings per share. CRH's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. CRH's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CRH. Vertical Research raised CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on CRH in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $130.00 price target on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $105.00 target price (down from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $114.64.

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.