O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Purchases 37,657 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 308,286 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,657 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $28,415,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in CRH by 40.1% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 5,508 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in CRH in the 3rd quarter valued at about $405,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in CRH during the third quarter worth about $501,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in CRH by 32.4% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 8,762 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $813,000 after buying an additional 2,144 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP raised its stake in CRH by 325.8% in the third quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 24,181 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,243,000 after buying an additional 18,502 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CRH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup lowered 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 price target on shares of CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CRH currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.64.

CRH Stock Performance

NYSE CRH opened at $88.09 on Friday. CRH plc has a fifty-two week low of $71.18 and a fifty-two week high of $110.97. The stock has a market cap of $59.57 billion, a PE ratio of 17.62, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $99.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.68.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.