17,021 Shares in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Purchased by Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP

Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP acquired a new stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 17,021 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,575,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC increased its stake in CRH by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 40,843,362 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,781,004,000 after purchasing an additional 4,687,345 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of CRH by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,163,930 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,624,719,000 after acquiring an additional 145,101 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CRH by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,553,194,000 after acquiring an additional 2,437,868 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,391,245,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in CRH by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,609,451 shares of the construction company's stock worth $796,546,000 after purchasing an additional 826,758 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CRH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Loop Capital began coverage on CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $114.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com raised CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CRH currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.58.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CRH traded up $1.15 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $98.98. 3,180,808 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,795,153. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $91.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $96.29. CRH plc has a 12 month low of $71.18 and a 12 month high of $110.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.87 billion, a PE ratio of 19.80, 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) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. CRH had a net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. On average, research analysts anticipate that CRH plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.37 dividend. 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%.

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.