Ycg LLC Takes Position in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

Key Points

• Ycg LLC has acquired a new position in CRH Plc, purchasing 79,660 shares valued at approximately $7 million in the first quarter.
• CRH reported earnings per share of $1.94 for the last quarter, falling short of the consensus estimate of $2.06, with quarterly revenue totaling $10.21 billion.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.37 has been declared, with an annualized yield of 1.3%, scheduled for payment on September 24th.

YCG LLC acquired a new stake in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 79,660 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $7,008,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of CRH by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,572 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of CRH by 20.4% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 755 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Callan Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of CRH by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 3,074 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of CRH by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 8,196 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $721,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of CRH by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 15,257 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,342,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Vertical Research raised shares of CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $105.00 target price (down previously from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, August 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $113.18.

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock traded down $0.96 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $110.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,780,159 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,617,036. Crh Plc has a 1-year low of $76.75 and a 1-year high of $113.95. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $95.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.29. The company has a market cap of $74.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.18, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.06 by ($0.12). CRH had a return on equity of 15.68% and a net margin of 9.09%. The business had revenue of $10.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.88 EPS. CRH's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. CRH's payout ratio is presently 23.22%.

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.