CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Stock Holdings Lifted by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,163,930 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 145,101 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 5.77% of CRH worth $3,624,719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CRH. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of CRH by 33.4% in 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 during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in CRH by 8.7% during 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 4.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,139,233 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,218,532,000 after buying an additional 618,786 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of CRH by 10.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of CRH by 2.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,985,356 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $738,113,000 after acquiring an additional 165,825 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on CRH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup lowered 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. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.64.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of CRH opened at $97.93 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $66.29 billion, a PE ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $99.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.53. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97.

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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.51%.

CRH Company 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.