Crh Plc $CRH Shares Acquired by Avanza Fonder AB

Key Points

• Avanza Fonder AB increased its holdings in CRH Plc by 6.1% in the second quarter, resulting in ownership of 65,747 shares valued at approximately $6,036,000.
• Vanguard Group Inc. significantly raised its stake in CRH by 62.8%, owning over 63 million shares valued at around $5.6 billion.
• Despite reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $1.94 for the quarter, CRH missed analysts' expectations, which were set at $2.06.

Avanza Fonder AB raised its stake in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 6.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,747 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,773 shares during the quarter. Avanza Fonder AB's holdings in CRH were worth $6,036,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd acquired a new position in CRH during the first quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its position in CRH by 44.6% during the 1st quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 730 shares of the construction company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on CRH. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, August 8th. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $105.00 price target (down previously from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Vertical Research upgraded shares of CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on CRH from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, September 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $116.00.

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock traded up $0.59 during trading on Friday, hitting $113.05. The stock had a trading volume of 5,842,217 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,493,631. Crh Plc has a twelve month low of $76.75 and a twelve month high of $114.83. The company's 50-day moving average price is $106.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.65, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.31.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $10.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.88 earnings per share. CRH's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 23.22%.

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.