AE Wealth Management LLC Sells 10,741 Shares of Crh Plc $CRH

Key Points

• AE Wealth Management sold 10,741 shares of CRH, trimming its stake by 33.4% to 21,428 shares worth $2.674 million per its latest 13F filing.
• Several large institutions dramatically increased positions—Artisan ($295.8M), Alkeon ($209.8M), SG Americas (+1,372,652 shares to 1,386,928), Citigroup and Qube—leaving institutional investors with about 62.5% ownership.
• CRH missed quarterly estimates (EPS $1.52 vs. $2.20 expected; revenue $9.42B vs. $11.15B) but raised its quarterly dividend to $0.39 (annualized $1.56, 1.3% yield), and analysts rate the stock a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $139.54.

AE Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 33.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,428 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 10,741 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC's holdings in CRH were worth $2,674,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CRH. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of CRH in the third quarter worth $295,798,000. Alkeon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CRH in the third quarter worth $209,825,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 9,615.1% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,386,928 shares of the construction company's stock worth $173,089,000 after acquiring an additional 1,372,652 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 229.0% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,811,126 shares of the construction company's stock worth $217,154,000 after acquiring an additional 1,260,558 shares during the period. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 53.8% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 3,336,263 shares of the construction company's stock worth $400,018,000 after acquiring an additional 1,167,309 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of CRH stock opened at $118.53 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $112.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.94. Crh Plc has a 52 week low of $81.60 and a 52 week high of $131.55. The company has a market capitalization of $79.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.47, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.35.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The construction company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.20 by ($0.68). CRH had a net margin of 10.02% and a return on equity of 15.98%. The business had revenue of $9.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.02 earnings per share. CRH's revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Crh Plc will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $0.39 dividend. This is an increase from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. CRH's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on CRH from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on CRH from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $139.00 price target on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup boosted their price target on CRH from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $120.00 price target on CRH in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $139.54.

About CRH

CRH plc, originally formed as Cement Roadstone Holdings in 1970 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a global building materials group. The company has grown from its Irish roots into one of the largest international suppliers of construction materials, expanding primarily through acquisitions and regional business development. CRH operates an integrated network of manufacturing and distribution businesses that serve both public and private construction markets.

CRH's core activities include the production and distribution of aggregates, cement, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and other bulk materials, together with a broad range of value-added building products such as precast concrete, masonry, bricks, roofing products, pipe and drainage systems, and construction accessories.

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