Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $129.22 Million Stock Holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 104.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,468,923 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 751,845 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.22% of CRH worth $129,221,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CRH in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in CRH by 214.3% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $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 fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $114.18.

CRH Stock Performance

CRH stock opened at $95.25 on Friday. Crh Plc has a fifty-two week low of $72.32 and a fifty-two week high of $110.97. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $93.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.47. The stock has a market cap of $64.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $6.77 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 15.88% and a net margin of 9.17%. As a group, analysts predict that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. CRH's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.52%.

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.

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