Versant Capital Management Inc Has $384,000 Stock Position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 553.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,366 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,698 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc's holdings in CRH were worth $384,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Boston Common Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in CRH by 21.2% during the first quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC now owns 284,702 shares of the construction company's stock worth $25,045,000 after purchasing an additional 49,896 shares during the period. 111 Capital bought a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter worth about $372,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of CRH by 86.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,894 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,563,000 after acquiring an additional 7,813 shares during the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its stake in shares of CRH by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 193,499 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $17,903,000 after acquiring an additional 2,386 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ bought a new position in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,228,000. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Stock Performance

CRH traded down $0.97 during trading on Friday, reaching $90.99. 8,756,692 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,608,212. The company's fifty day moving average price is $90.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.03. CRH plc has a fifty-two week low of $71.18 and a fifty-two week high of $110.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.48 billion, a PE ratio of 18.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33.

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). CRH had a return on equity of 16.35% and a net margin of 9.86%. The business had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. Research analysts forecast that CRH plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. CRH's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on CRH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, CRH has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.58.

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.