CWA Asset Management Group LLC Takes Position in CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH)

CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 7,422 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $653,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC grew its position in CRH by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 40,843,362 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,781,004,000 after acquiring an additional 4,687,345 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,163,930 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,624,719,000 after purchasing an additional 145,101 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,553,194,000 after purchasing an additional 2,437,868 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter worth about $1,391,245,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in CRH by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,609,451 shares of the construction company's stock worth $796,546,000 after buying an additional 826,758 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on CRH. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $114.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $114.18.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of CRH traded down $0.92 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $88.11. The stock had a trading volume of 8,113,932 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,718,205. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $92.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.95. 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 $59.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.28.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.06). CRH had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 15.88%. The firm had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that CRH PLC will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. CRH's payout ratio is 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.