Voya Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Voya Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 18.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 45,805 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,209 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC's holdings in CRH were worth $4,244,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,562,962 shares of the construction company's stock worth $144,605,000 after purchasing an additional 114,072 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in shares of CRH by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 32,557 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,012,000 after acquiring an additional 5,889 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of CRH by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,450,632 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $226,732,000 after acquiring an additional 232,977 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CRH by 31.8% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 23,253 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,151,000 after acquiring an additional 5,610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in shares of CRH by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 72,778 shares of the construction company's stock worth $6,733,000 after purchasing an additional 12,076 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on CRH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com raised CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $112.36.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CRH traded down $0.30 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $98.21. The stock had a trading volume of 5,743,749 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,755,435. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $71.18 and a 1 year high of $110.97. The firm's 50 day moving average is $92.03 and its 200-day moving average is $96.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last posted its 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%. 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. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. CRH's payout ratio is 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.