Great Lakes Advisors LLC Takes Position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

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

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in shares of CRH by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,562,962 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $144,605,000 after purchasing an additional 114,072 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of CRH by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 32,557 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,012,000 after buying an additional 5,889 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in CRH by 10.5% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in CRH by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 23,253 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,151,000 after acquiring an additional 5,610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in shares of CRH by 19.9% in 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Stock Up 2.6 %

CRH stock opened at $97.08 on Monday. CRH plc has a 52-week low of $71.18 and a 52-week high of $110.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.42, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $99.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.15.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 yield of 1.52%. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is 15.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CRH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of 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 CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $109.25.

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.