New York State Common Retirement Fund Lowers Stake in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

New York State Common Retirement Fund decreased its holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 4.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 713,381 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 33,804 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.11% of CRH worth $62,756,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Trading Down 0.4%

CRH stock traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $94.84. 2,203,210 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,807,817. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $93.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.52. Crh Plc has a fifty-two week low of $74.03 and a fifty-two week high of $110.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 1.48 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) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. CRH had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 15.88%. Equities analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS 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 given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. CRH's payout ratio is 23.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on CRH. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $105.00 price target (down from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, CRH has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.82.

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.