Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Acquires 7,813 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 86.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,894 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,813 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in CRH were worth $1,563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter valued at $57,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $280,000. Financial Advocates Investment Management raised its stake in shares of CRH by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 2,963 shares of the construction company's stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in CRH by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,562,962 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $144,605,000 after buying an additional 114,072 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in CRH by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 72,778 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $6,733,000 after acquiring an additional 12,076 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:CRH opened at $92.53 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $95.79. CRH plc has a 12-month low of $71.18 and a 12-month high of $110.97. The firm has a market cap of $62.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.28.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). CRH had a return on equity of 16.35% and a net margin of 9.86%. The firm had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CRH plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. CRH's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on 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 reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.58.

CRH 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.