Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Boosts Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 136.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,402 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,385 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $222,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CRH. FMR LLC lifted its stake in CRH by 33.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 36,156,017 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,341,258,000 after purchasing an additional 9,055,354 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CRH by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,351,050 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,329,796,000 after acquiring an additional 1,148,708 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in CRH by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,139,233 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,218,532,000 after acquiring an additional 618,786 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in CRH by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,609,451 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $796,546,000 after acquiring an additional 826,758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in CRH by 2.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,985,356 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $738,113,000 after purchasing an additional 165,825 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of CRH to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of CRH from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of CRH from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on CRH from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised 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, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CRH presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $108.45.

CRH Trading Up 6.8 %

Shares of CRH stock opened at $102.81 on Thursday. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97. The stock has a market cap of $69.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $98.91 and a 200 day moving average of $95.66.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.44%. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. CRH’s payout ratio is 20.87%.

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.