PFG Advisors Sells 10,044 Shares of Crh Plc $CRH

Key Points

• PFG Advisors sold 10,044 shares of CRH, trimming its stake by 31.2% to 22,174 shares worth about $2.77 million at quarter-end.
• Several large institutions are adding big positions—Artisan and Alkeon opened multi‑hundred‑million dollar stakes while SG Americas, Citigroup and Qube notably increased holdings—leaving institutional ownership at 62.5%.
• CRH missed Q4 estimates (EPS $1.52 vs. $2.20 expected; revenue $9.42B vs. $11.15B) though revenue rose 6.2% YoY; analysts rate the stock a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $139.54, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.39 (annualized $1.56, ~1.3% yield).

PFG Advisors lessened its holdings in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 31.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,174 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 10,044 shares during the quarter. PFG Advisors' holdings in CRH were worth $2,767,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new position in CRH during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $295,798,000. Alkeon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in CRH during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $209,825,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in CRH by 9,615.1% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,386,928 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $173,089,000 after buying an additional 1,372,652 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in CRH by 229.0% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,811,126 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $217,154,000 after buying an additional 1,260,558 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its holdings in CRH by 53.8% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 3,336,263 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $400,018,000 after buying an additional 1,167,309 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $139.00 price target on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. DA Davidson set a $120.00 price target on CRH in a report on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on CRH from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on CRH from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on CRH from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report 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 an average price target of $139.54.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of CRH stock opened at $117.33 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $78.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $112.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $117.92. Crh Plc has a one year low of $83.19 and a one year high of $131.55.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The construction company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by ($0.68). The company had revenue of $9.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.15 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 15.98% and a net margin of 10.02%.CRH's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.02 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Crh Plc will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Increases Dividend

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

CRH Company Profile

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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