CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Sold by Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD reduced its stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 10.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 467,573 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 54,346 shares during the quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned 0.07% of CRH worth $43,260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CRH. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in CRH in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in shares of CRH by 214.3% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its holdings in CRH by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC grew its position in CRH by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 559 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CRH has been the subject of several recent research reports. Loop Capital initiated coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup cut their price objective on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.36.

CRH Trading Up 2.3 %

CRH stock traded up $2.23 during trading on Friday, hitting $98.51. 4,690,436 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,742,602. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $92.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.07. The stock has a market capitalization 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 52-week low of $71.18 and a 52-week high of $110.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a positive change from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. CRH's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.66%.

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.