CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Sold by Select Equity Group L.P.

Select Equity Group L.P. reduced its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 11.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,017,423 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,483,344 shares during the period. CRH makes up 4.0% of Select Equity Group L.P.'s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Select Equity Group L.P. owned approximately 1.62% of CRH worth $1,019,332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter worth approximately $235,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its position in CRH by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 32,557 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,012,000 after purchasing an additional 5,889 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its position in CRH by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 47,990 shares of the construction company's stock worth $4,440,000 after purchasing an additional 2,143 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,970,000. Finally, Boston Common Asset Management LLC boosted its position in CRH by 77.1% during the fourth quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC now owns 234,806 shares of the construction company's stock worth $21,724,000 after purchasing an additional 102,232 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CRH traded down $1.91 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $96.74. The company had a trading volume of 3,791,990 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,803,267. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97. The stock has a market cap of $65.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $91.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.35.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). CRH had a net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. The company had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that CRH plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. CRH's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Loop Capital initiated coverage on CRH in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.58.

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.