Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Has $1.55 Billion Holdings in Crh Plc $CRH

Key Points

• Massachusetts Financial Services Co. increased its stake in CRH by 0.6% in Q4 to 12,439,954 shares, a $1.55 billion position representing about 1.86% of the company.
• CRH missed Q4 expectations, reporting $1.52 EPS vs. $2.20 expected and $9.42B revenue vs. $11.15B expected, though revenue was up 6.2% year-over-year and analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" consensus with a $139.69 average price target.
• Dividend raised: CRH increased its quarterly payout to $0.39 ($1.56 annualized), implying a 1.3% yield and a roughly 28.3% payout ratio.

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,439,954 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 78,769 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 1.86% of CRH worth $1,552,506,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in CRH during the 4th quarter valued at about $347,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in CRH by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 14,655 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,829,000 after purchasing an additional 1,386 shares during the period. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of CRH by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC now owns 6,900 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $861,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of CRH by 689.8% in the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 65,636 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $7,933,000 after acquiring an additional 57,326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asio Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of CRH by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 62,744 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $7,830,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Stock Performance

NYSE CRH opened at $117.96 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $117.87. Crh Plc has a 52-week low of $81.60 and a 52-week high of $131.55. The stock has a market cap of $78.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.37, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.35.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The construction company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by ($0.68). CRH had a return on equity of 15.98% and a net margin of 10.02%.The business had revenue of $9.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.02 earnings per share. CRH's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. CRH's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on CRH shares. BNP Paribas Exane raised CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. UBS Group upped their price target on CRH from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Longbow Research started coverage on CRH in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $160.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on CRH from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CRH currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $139.69.

About CRH

CRH plc, originally formed as Cement Roadstone Holdings in 1970 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a global building materials group. The company has grown from its Irish roots into one of the largest international suppliers of construction materials, expanding primarily through acquisitions and regional business development. CRH operates an integrated network of manufacturing and distribution businesses that serve both public and private construction markets.

CRH's core activities include the production and distribution of aggregates, cement, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and other bulk materials, together with a broad range of value-added building products such as precast concrete, masonry, bricks, roofing products, pipe and drainage systems, and construction accessories.

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