Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 145,101 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 39,163,930 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 145,101 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of CRH worth $3,624,719,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CRH during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its position in shares of CRH by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in CRH by 111.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 668 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of CRH opened at $97.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $99.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.53. The company has a market cap of $66.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. This is a boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. CRH’s payout ratio is currently 15.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target 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. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $109.64.

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.