Bridgewater Advisors Inc. Makes New $524,000 Investment in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

Bridgewater Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,610 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $524,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of CRH by 20.4% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 755 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of CRH by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,810 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of CRH by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 8,196 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $721,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of CRH by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 15,257 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,342,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of CRH by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 10,387 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $914,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on CRH. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $105.00 price target (down from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Loop Capital began coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CRH has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.82.

CRH Stock Performance

CRH stock traded up $0.91 during trading on Friday, reaching $93.85. The company had a trading volume of 1,024,526 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,847,264. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $93.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.52. Crh Plc has a 1-year low of $74.03 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.41 billion, a PE ratio of 19.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.26.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. Analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. CRH's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.