Bessemer Group Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

Bessemer Group Inc. trimmed its position in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 8.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,682,835 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 349,836 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned 0.54% of CRH worth $323,980,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in CRH. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in CRH by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,450,632 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $226,732,000 after buying an additional 232,977 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at about $237,000. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of CRH by 142,350.0% during the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 17,094 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,582,000 after acquiring an additional 17,082 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund bought a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter valued at about $683,000. Finally, LGT Group Foundation grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. LGT Group Foundation now owns 795,108 shares of the construction company's stock worth $73,563,000 after purchasing an additional 17,755 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Loop Capital assumed coverage on CRH in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $114.00 target price for the company. 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 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CRH has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $114.18.

CRH Trading Down 3.1%

Shares of NYSE:CRH traded down $2.81 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $88.71. 3,654,729 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,093,338. Crh Plc has a 52-week low of $71.18 and a 52-week high of $110.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.28. The business's fifty day moving average is $92.51 and its 200-day moving average is $94.78.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). CRH had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 15.88%. The business had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.77 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Crh Plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. 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.