Main Street Research LLC Acquires New Position in CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH)

Main Street Research LLC purchased a new stake in CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 153,597 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $13,512,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased 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 worth $33,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of CRH traded down $0.70 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $95.19. The stock had a trading volume of 2,318,304 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,880,017. The firm has a market cap of $64.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.26. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $93.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.52. CRH PLC has a 12-month low of $74.03 and a 12-month high of $110.97.

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

CRH Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. CRH's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on CRH. Loop Capital began coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $114.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $105.00 target price (down from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $112.82.

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.