CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Sold by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased its position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,348,142 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 335,581 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.79% of CRH worth $494,810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its position in shares of CRH by 87.7% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of CRH by 111.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 668 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on CRH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note 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. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.64.

CRH Price Performance

NYSE CRH opened at $88.09 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $99.77 and a 200-day moving average of $96.68. CRH plc has a 12 month low of $71.18 and a 12 month high of $110.97. The company has a market cap of $59.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is 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.