Virtu Financial LLC Has $4.60 Million Holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC increased its stake in CRH Plc by 590.6% during Q1, owning 52,336 shares valued at $4.6 million after acquiring an additional 44,758 shares.
• CRH reported a $1.94 earnings per share for the last quarter, missing estimates by $0.12, with revenue of $10.21 billion compared to a forecast of $10.27 billion.
• The firm declared a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, which will provide an annualized yield of 1.4% for investors of record on August 22nd.

Virtu Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 590.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 52,336 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 44,758 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in CRH were worth $4,604,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CRH. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in CRH by 86.7% during the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 448 shares of the construction company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Friday. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $105.00 target price (down from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Vertical Research upgraded CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $112.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $113.18.

CRH Price Performance

NYSE:CRH traded up $4.73 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $112.15. 7,540,199 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,542,755. Crh Plc has a twelve month low of $76.75 and a twelve month high of $112.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $94.92 and a 200 day moving average of $95.07. The stock has a market cap of $75.77 billion, a PE ratio of 23.46, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.26.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.06 by ($0.12). CRH had a return on equity of 15.68% and a net margin of 9.09%. The firm had revenue of $10.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.27 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. The company's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. CRH's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.22%.

CRH 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.