Northern Trust Corp Has $383.51 Million Stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 20.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,145,116 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 714,623 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 0.61% of CRH worth $383,506,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CRH. Norges Bank bought a new stake in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,391,245,000. FMR LLC grew its position in CRH by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 40,843,362 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,781,004,000 after purchasing an additional 4,687,345 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in CRH by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,553,194,000 after buying an additional 2,437,868 shares in the last quarter. AGF Management Ltd. lifted its position in CRH by 4,264.7% during the 4th quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 1,034,527 shares of the construction company's stock worth $95,714,000 after buying an additional 1,010,825 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in shares of CRH by 32,560.1% during the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 951,714 shares of the construction company's stock worth $88,053,000 after buying an additional 948,800 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on CRH shares. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup reduced their price target on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CRH has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $112.36.

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock traded up $2.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $98.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,690,436 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,742,600. The company has a market cap of $66.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.70, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $92.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.07.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. This is an increase from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. CRH's payout ratio is presently 22.66%.

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.