CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Acquired by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 70.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,078 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 25,278 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in CRH were worth $5,654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CRH. Graypoint LLC raised its stake in shares of CRH by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 3,315 shares of the construction company's stock worth $307,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $235,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $246,000. Rockland Trust Co. purchased a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $230,000. Finally, Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its position in CRH by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 13,543 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,253,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CRH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on CRH in a research report on Tuesday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $112.58.

CRH Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE CRH traded up $1.15 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $98.98. The stock had a trading volume of 3,180,808 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,788,477. The company has a market capitalization of $66.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.80, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $91.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.29.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. CRH had a net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. On average, research analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. CRH's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.52%.

About CRH

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.