Whipplewood Advisors LLC Purchases 3,996 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 981.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,403 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,996 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC's holdings in CRH were worth $387,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in CRH in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of CRH by 214.3% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $112.58.

CRH Trading Up 2.1%

CRH stock traded up $1.88 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $92.76. The stock had a trading volume of 3,659,787 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,528,195. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $95.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.67 billion, a PE ratio of 18.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33. CRH plc has a 12 month low of $71.18 and a 12 month high of $110.97.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. The business had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that CRH plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

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 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. CRH's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.52%.

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.