Great Lakes Advisors LLC Invests $214,000 in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,313 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC boosted its stake in CRH by 33.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 36,156,017 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,341,258,000 after purchasing an additional 9,055,354 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of CRH by 515.7% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,103,194 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $473,270,000 after buying an additional 4,274,336 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CRH by 8.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,351,050 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,329,796,000 after buying an additional 1,148,708 shares during the period. AGF Management Ltd. boosted its stake in CRH by 4,264.7% during the fourth quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 1,034,527 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $95,714,000 after buying an additional 1,010,825 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in CRH by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,609,451 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $796,546,000 after acquiring an additional 826,758 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup dropped their price target on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CRH presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.25.

CRH Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of CRH stock opened at $97.08 on Monday. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $71.18 and a 1 year high of $110.97. The company has a market cap of $65.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $99.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.15.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is 15.51%.

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.