Zions Bancorporation National Association UT Makes New Investment in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

Key Points

• Zions Bancorporation National Association UT has made a significant investment in CRH Plc, acquiring 7,423 shares valued at approximately $653,000.
• CRH reported quarterly earnings of $1.94 per share, which was below analysts' expectations of $2.06, despite a year-over-year revenue increase of 5.7% to $10.21 billion.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, reflecting a 1.4% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 23.22%.

Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 7,423 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $653,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in CRH during the 1st quarter worth about $744,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in CRH by 43.2% during the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,303,788 shares of the construction company's stock worth $906,424,000 after purchasing an additional 3,108,416 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 27.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,919 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $169,000 after acquiring an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of CRH by 211.3% in the first quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,411,543 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $123,601,000 after acquiring an additional 958,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exane Asset Management increased its position in shares of CRH by 22.2% in the first quarter. Exane Asset Management now owns 226,087 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $19,889,000 after acquiring an additional 41,013 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE CRH opened at $109.56 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average price is $94.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.95. The company has a market cap of $74.02 billion, a PE ratio of 22.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.26. Crh Plc has a twelve month low of $76.75 and a twelve month high of $110.97.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.27 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.88 EPS. CRH's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

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 of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. CRH's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on CRH shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $112.00 target price (up previously from $108.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Vertical Research raised CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $105.00 target price (down previously from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $113.18.

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.

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