CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Sold by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 28.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,414,590 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,389,513 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.50% of CRH worth $315,916,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Graypoint LLC grew its position in shares of CRH by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 3,315 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $307,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $235,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter worth about $246,000. Rockland Trust Co. bought a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth $230,000. Finally, Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its position in CRH by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 13,543 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,253,000 after acquiring an additional 763 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CRH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on CRH in a research report on Tuesday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Loop Capital began coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $114.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CRH currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.58.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of CRH stock traded up $0.33 on Thursday, hitting $97.80. 3,222,608 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,798,908. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.27. CRH plc has a 52 week low of $71.18 and a 52 week high of $110.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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. Research analysts expect that CRH plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. CRH's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.