Generate Investment Management Ltd Lowers Position in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

Generate Investment Management Ltd decreased its holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 45.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 146,662 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 121,158 shares during the quarter. Generate Investment Management Ltd's holdings in CRH were worth $12,902,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of CRH. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of CRH by 20.4% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 755 shares of the construction company's stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in CRH by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,810 shares of the construction company's stock worth $630,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in CRH by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,367 shares of the construction company's stock worth $405,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in CRH by 1.7% during the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 8,196 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $721,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of CRH by 0.9% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 15,257 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,342,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $114.18.

CRH Stock Down 3.1%

Shares of CRH traded down $2.81 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $88.71. The company had a trading volume of 3,654,729 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,093,338. Crh Plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $92.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.78. The stock has a market cap of $59.94 billion, a PE ratio of 18.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.28.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 15.88% and a net margin of 9.17%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

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. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. CRH's payout ratio is presently 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.