CenterBook Partners LP Grows Stock Holdings in CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH)

CenterBook Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 85.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,928 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 9,634 shares during the quarter. CenterBook Partners LP's holdings in CRH were worth $1,841,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at about $69,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in CRH by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 4,916 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $455,000 after buying an additional 551 shares in the last quarter. Choate Investment Advisors increased its position in CRH by 38.7% in the 4th quarter. Choate Investment Advisors now owns 3,245 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $300,000 after buying an additional 905 shares in the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP raised its stake in shares of CRH by 155.2% in the fourth quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 71,845 shares of the construction company's stock worth $6,647,000 after purchasing an additional 202,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CRH by 1.9% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $105.00 target price (down from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.82.

CRH Price Performance

CRH traded down $1.30 on Wednesday, hitting $92.90. The company had a trading volume of 5,764,482 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,866,195. CRH PLC has a 52-week low of $74.03 and a 52-week high of $110.97. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $93.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). CRH had a return on equity of 15.88% and a net margin of 9.17%. The company had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.77 billion. Equities research analysts expect that CRH PLC will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. CRH's payout ratio is 23.52%.

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.