PFG Advisors Takes $1.92 Million Position in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

PFG Advisors purchased a new position in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 21,828 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,920,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of CRH by 13.0% in 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 last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 2,437,868 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,391,245,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 43.2% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of CRH by 2.6% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,830,489 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $776,818,000 after acquiring an additional 221,038 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CRH Stock Up 3.0%

NYSE:CRH traded up $2.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $100.07. 8,790,491 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,437,300. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $93.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.68. Crh Plc has a one year low of $74.03 and a one year high of $110.97. The firm has a market cap of $67.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.26.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 15.88% and a net margin of 9.17%. Equities analysts predict that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on CRH. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $105.00 price objective (down from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CRH has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.82.

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.