Blueshift Asset Management LLC Buys Shares of 4,278 CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH)

Key Points

• Blueshift Asset Management LLC invested approximately $376,000 in CRH Plc by purchasing 4,278 shares during the first quarter.
• Analysts have mixed outlooks on CRH, with 10 buy ratings and a consensus price target of $112.82, despite a recent decrease in target prices from some firms.
• CRH's most recent quarterly earnings report showed a loss per share of $0.12, missing estimates, while revenue was slightly below expectations at $6.76 billion.

Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,278 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $376,000.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on CRH. DA Davidson reaffirmed 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. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, CRH currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.82.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of CRH stock traded down $0.14 during trading on Friday, reaching $95.31. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,876,251 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,708,544. The business's fifty day moving average price is $93.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.81. The firm has a market cap of $64.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.26. CRH PLC has a one year low of $74.03 and a one year high of $110.97.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CRH PLC will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. CRH's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.52%.

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.