CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Sold by LGT Group Foundation

LGT Group Foundation lessened its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 35.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,952 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 9,825 shares during the period. LGT Group Foundation's holdings in CRH were worth $1,237,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC purchased a new stake in CRH in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $941,562,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter valued at $3,358,000. Vanguard Group Inc. bought a new stake in CRH during the third quarter valued at about $1,484,901,000. Asio Capital LLC boosted its position in CRH by 75.3% during the fourth quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 54,015 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,736,000 after purchasing an additional 23,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in CRH during the third quarter valued at about $73,833,000. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of CRH stock traded up $0.89 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $80.44. 2,535,534 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,015,089. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $47.14 and a 1 year high of $88.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $82.30 and a 200 day moving average of $71.49.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 29th. The construction company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $8.69 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts forecast that CRH plc will post 5.36 EPS for the current year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a Variable dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.262 dividend. This represents a yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Vertical Research started coverage on CRH in a report on Friday, March 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised CRH from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a "hold" rating and set a $82.00 target price (up from $80.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Monday, April 15th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on CRH in a report on Friday, January 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on CRH from $89.70 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $79.31.

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.