Crh Plc $CRH Shares Sold by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. sold 11,744 shares of CRH plc, reducing its stake by 12.8% and valuing its holdings at approximately $7 million.
• Several analysts have given CRH a strong performance outlook, with price targets ranging from $105.00 to $115.00.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.37, resulting in an annualized yield of 1.3% and a payout ratio of 23.22%.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. cut its holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 12.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 80,089 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 11,744 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in CRH were worth $7,045,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in CRH in the first quarter valued at $744,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in CRH by 43.2% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,303,788 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $906,424,000 after buying an additional 3,108,416 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 27.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,919 shares of the construction company's stock worth $169,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 8.6% during the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 2,154,053 shares of the construction company's stock worth $189,492,000 after purchasing an additional 170,702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 100.2% during the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 452,776 shares of the construction company's stock worth $39,318,000 after purchasing an additional 226,602 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE CRH traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $112.89. 3,532,118 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,680,089. Crh Plc has a 1 year low of $76.75 and a 1 year high of $114.40. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $100.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.12. The stock has a market cap of $75.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.62, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.26.

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

CRH Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CRH has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $105.00 price objective (down previously from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Thursday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on CRH in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $130.00 price objective on the stock. Vertical Research raised CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $114.64.

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.