Lmcg Investments LLC Has $4.47 Million Stock Position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Lmcg Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 33.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 50,781 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 12,844 shares during the quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC's holdings in CRH were worth $4,467,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 981.8% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 4,403 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $387,000 after acquiring an additional 3,996 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in CRH by 32.7% in the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 30,867 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,715,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its stake in CRH by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 5,175 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $455,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Cox Capital Mgt LLC grew its position in CRH by 44.6% in the 1st quarter. Cox Capital Mgt LLC now owns 25,878 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,276,000 after purchasing an additional 7,986 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of CRH by 11,109.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 168,814 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $14,851,000 after purchasing an additional 167,308 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CRH currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $112.58.

CRH Stock Down 0.3%

CRH stock traded down $0.27 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $92.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,151,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,514,546. CRH plc has a 12 month low of $71.18 and a 12 month high of $110.97. The company has a market capitalization of $62.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.28. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $91.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $95.84.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last announced 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). CRH had a return on equity of 16.35% and a net margin of 9.86%. The business had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that CRH plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. CRH's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.