Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Trims Holdings in Crh Plc $CRH

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. cut its stake in CRH by 50.4% in Q4, selling 13,855 shares and leaving 13,613 shares valued at $1.699 million.
• CRH missed Q4 estimates, reporting $1.52 EPS vs. $2.20 expected and $9.42B revenue vs. $11.15B expected (revenue was up 6.2% YoY), and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.39 (annualized $1.56, yield 1.3%).
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $139.54, as several firms including UBS and JPMorgan recently raised targets.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. decreased its holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 50.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,613 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 13,855 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in CRH were worth $1,699,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in CRH in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of CRH by 87.6% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 212 shares of the construction company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. United Community Bank grew its position in shares of CRH by 359.6% during the 3rd quarter. United Community Bank now owns 239 shares of the construction company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of CRH by 1,835.3% during the 2nd quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 329 shares of the construction company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on CRH from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. BNP Paribas Exane raised CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on CRH from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. DA Davidson set a $120.00 price target on CRH in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on CRH from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $139.54.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of CRH stock opened at $117.17 on Friday. Crh Plc has a 1-year low of $81.60 and a 1-year high of $131.55. The stock's 50-day moving average is $112.71 and its 200 day moving average is $117.98. The company has a market cap of $78.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.23, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.35.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The construction company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by ($0.68). CRH had a net margin of 10.02% and a return on equity of 15.98%. The company had revenue of $9.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.02 EPS. CRH's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This is an increase from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. CRH's dividend payout ratio is 28.26%.

About CRH

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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