CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Sold by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 22.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 847,944 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 247,572 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC owned 0.12% of CRH worth $78,452,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in CRH in the third quarter worth $35,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its holdings in CRH by 70.7% in the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 391 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 87.7% in the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on CRH from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on CRH from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. 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. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of CRH to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $109.42.

CRH Stock Down 3.9 %

CRH stock opened at $93.71 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $99.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $95.94. The company has a market capitalization of $63.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.74, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. CRH plc has a fifty-two week low of $71.18 and a fifty-two week high of $110.97.

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 paid a $0.37 dividend. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.87%.

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.