LPL Financial LLC Purchases 32,681 Shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in CRH PLC by 19.6% during Q1, acquiring an additional 32,681 shares, bringing its total holdings to 199,756 shares valued at approximately $17.57 million.
• CRH reported a Q2 EPS of $1.94, missing analysts' expectations of $2.06, despite a 5.7% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.37, with a yield of 1.5%, set to be paid on September 24th to shareholders recorded by August 22nd.

LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 19.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 199,756 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 32,681 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC's holdings in CRH were worth $17,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CRH. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CRH by 5.0% during the first quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,572 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in 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. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings 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 worth $1,342,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Finally, Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of CRH by 1.4% in the first quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 10,387 shares of the construction company's stock worth $914,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on CRH. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Loop Capital initiated coverage on CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.82.

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock traded up $9.36 on Thursday, reaching $106.96. 9,760,703 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,634,299. Crh Plc has a 12 month low of $76.75 and a 12 month high of $110.97. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $93.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.27 billion, a PE ratio of 22.66, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.26.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.06 by ($0.12). CRH had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 15.88%. The company had revenue of $10.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.88 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 22nd. CRH's payout ratio is 23.52%.

CRH Company 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.