Exane Asset Management Acquires 41,013 Shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

Exane Asset Management grew its holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 22.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 226,087 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 41,013 shares during the period. CRH accounts for about 11.3% of Exane Asset Management's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Exane Asset Management's holdings in CRH were worth $19,889,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stratos Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in CRH by 21.0% in the 1st quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC now owns 77,110 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $6,783,000 after acquiring an additional 13,401 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. grew its position in shares of CRH by 6.2% in the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 293,170 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $25,790,000 after purchasing an additional 17,004 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd increased its stake in shares of CRH by 8.9% during the first quarter. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd now owns 61,484 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,400,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its holdings in CRH by 9.1% during the 1st quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,779,171 shares of the construction company's stock worth $244,484,000 after purchasing an additional 231,345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Callan Capital LLC bought a new stake in CRH in the 1st quarter valued at $203,000. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on CRH. Loop Capital started coverage on CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CRH currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $114.18.

CRH Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE CRH traded up $0.45 on Wednesday, hitting $95.10. 909,042 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,906,437. Crh Plc has a 52 week low of $74.03 and a 52 week high of $110.97. The stock has a market cap of $64.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $93.45 and a 200-day moving average of $94.49.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Crh Plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 1.56%. CRH's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.