Main Street Research LLC Purchases Shares of 153,597 CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH)

Main Street Research LLC bought a new position in shares of CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 153,597 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $13,512,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,391,245,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in CRH by 13.0% during 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. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in CRH by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,553,194,000 after acquiring an additional 2,437,868 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in CRH by 72.2% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,717,597 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $436,472,000 after acquiring an additional 1,978,225 shares during the period. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in CRH by 931.3% during the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 1,977,992 shares of the construction company's stock worth $183,004,000 after buying an additional 1,786,189 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:CRH traded up $1.70 on Wednesday, reaching $96.35. 3,264,600 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,916,866. CRH PLC has a fifty-two week low of $74.03 and a fifty-two week high of $110.97. The business's 50-day moving average is $93.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.26.

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 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 company had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. Analysts predict that CRH PLC will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. CRH's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on CRH. Loop Capital initiated coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $114.18.

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.