Crh Plc $CRH Shares Sold by American Century Companies Inc.

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. reduced its stake in Crh Plc by 9.2%, now holding approximately 2.94 million shares worth $258.88 million.
• CRH reported $1.94 EPS for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations of $2.06, while revenue for the quarter was $10.21 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 1.3%, to be paid on September 24th.

American Century Companies Inc. trimmed its holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 9.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,942,816 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 299,373 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.44% of CRH worth $258,880,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in CRH during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CRH during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in CRH during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its position in CRH by 86.7% during the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 448 shares of the construction company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $105.00 target price (down previously from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $112.00 target price (up previously from $108.00) on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Vertical Research raised shares of CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CRH presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $113.18.

CRH Price Performance

NYSE CRH traded up $0.8670 on Tuesday, reaching $112.3970. The company had a trading volume of 3,962,267 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,610,352. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.60 billion, a PE ratio of 23.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.26. Crh Plc has a 1 year low of $76.75 and a 1 year high of $113.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $96.50 and a 200-day moving average of $95.41.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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%.The firm's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. CRH's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.22%.

CRH Company 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.