Aigen Investment Management LP Takes Position in Crh Plc $CRH

Key Points

• Aigen Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in Crh Plc, purchasing 3,695 shares valued at approximately $325,000.
• CRH has been upgraded to a "strong-buy" rating by Vertical Research, contributing to a consensus rating of "Buy" with a price target of $113.18.
• The company reported earnings of $1.94 per share for the last quarter, missing analysts' estimates, but showed a 5.7% year-over-year revenue increase.

Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new position in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,695 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $325,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CRH. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its position in CRH by 86.7% during the first quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 448 shares of the construction company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Stock Performance

CRH stock traded up $0.29 during trading on Monday, reaching $111.13. 1,338,213 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,589,422. Crh Plc has a 52-week low of $76.75 and a 52-week high of $113.95. The firm has a market cap of $74.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.25, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.26. The company's 50-day moving average is $96.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.32.

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

CRH Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. CRH's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on CRH shares. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Friday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $105.00 price objective (down from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Vertical Research raised shares of CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $113.18.

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.