Achmea Investment Management B.V. Makes New $13.51 Million Investment in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

Achmea Investment Management B.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 153,560 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $13,509,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC increased its holdings in CRH by 13.0% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of CRH by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,163,930 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,624,719,000 after purchasing an additional 145,101 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CRH by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,553,194,000 after purchasing an additional 2,437,868 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth $1,391,245,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of CRH by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,195,372 shares of the construction company's stock worth $665,716,000 after acquiring an additional 820,479 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $114.18.

CRH Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of CRH stock traded up $1.56 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $93.36. 4,071,715 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,944,049. Crh Plc has a 12-month low of $71.18 and a 12-month high of $110.97. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $92.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.51. The company has a market capitalization of $63.08 billion, a PE ratio of 19.78, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.28.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). CRH had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 15.88%. The company had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. CRH's dividend payout ratio is 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.