UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Sells 487,974 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,615,220 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 487,974 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.68% of CRH worth $427,000,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in CRH by 214.3% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in CRH during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in CRH by 859.6% in the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 499 shares of the construction company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CRH. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $112.58.

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock traded down $1.06 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $94.10. 5,235,921 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,818,081. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $91.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.27. CRH plc has a 52-week low of $71.18 and a 52-week high of $110.97. The company has a market capitalization of $63.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. CRH had a net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. As a group, analysts forecast that CRH plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. CRH's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.52%.

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.