CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH) Stake Raised by Scotia Capital Inc.

Key Points

• Scotia Capital Inc. increased its holdings in Crh Plc by 8.5%, acquiring an additional 5,320 shares, bringing its total ownership to 67,941 shares valued at approximately $5.98 million.
• CRH's stock has recently underperformed with a Q1 EPS loss of ($0.12), missing expectations of ($0.06), though it continues to have a market capitalization of $66.38 billion.
• Current analyst ratings include a mix of assessments, with an average target price of $112.82, reflecting a consensus of ten buy ratings and one strong buy rating for the company.

Scotia Capital Inc. lifted its position in CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 8.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 67,941 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,320 shares during the period. Scotia Capital Inc.'s holdings in CRH were worth $5,977,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. World Investment Advisors grew its position in shares of CRH by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 2,558 shares of the construction company's stock worth $237,000 after buying an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 17,009 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,574,000 after acquiring an additional 1,525 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in CRH by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,063,540 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $98,399,000 after purchasing an additional 6,734 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 569.9% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 3,162 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 2,690 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in CRH by 43.0% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 169,248 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $15,667,000 after purchasing an additional 50,881 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $105.00 target price (down previously from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, CRH presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.82.

CRH Stock Down 0.3%

CRH stock traded down $0.32 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $97.63. 4,665,386 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,785,456. CRH PLC has a one year low of $75.65 and a one year high of $110.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $93.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.83. The company has a market cap of $65.96 billion, a PE ratio of 20.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.26.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.06 by ($0.12). CRH had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 15.88%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.88 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that CRH PLC will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. 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.