Northern Trust Corp Acquires 184,380 Shares of Crh Plc $CRH

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in CRH Plc by 4.4%, acquiring a total of approximately 4.33 million shares valued at $380.87 million.
• Several institutional investors have significantly boosted their positions in CRH, with Brooklyn Investment Group raising its holdings by 1,152% during the same quarter.
• CRH reported a quarterly EPS of $1.94, missing analyst estimates, and announced a $0.37 quarterly dividend, reflecting a 1.3% dividend yield.

Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 4.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,329,496 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 184,380 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 0.64% of CRH worth $380,866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CRH. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in CRH during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in CRH during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CRH during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new stake in CRH during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in CRH by 86.7% during the first quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 448 shares of the construction company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CRH Trading Up 2.3%

CRH stock traded up $2.5360 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $113.2560. The company had a trading volume of 2,965,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,818,760. Crh Plc has a 1 year low of $76.75 and a 1 year high of $113.95. The company has a market capitalization of $76.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.69, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a 50 day moving average of $98.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.79.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.06 by ($0.12). CRH had a return on equity of 15.68% and a net margin of 9.09%.The company had revenue of $10.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. CRH's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on CRH. Sanford C. Bernstein began 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. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $112.00 price target (up previously from $108.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Vertical Research upgraded shares of CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $105.00 price target (down previously from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $113.18.

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.