Machina Capital S.A.S. Has $549,000 Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Machina Capital S.A.S. lessened its holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 36.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,938 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,458 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in CRH were worth $549,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its position in CRH by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 36,944 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,418,000 after acquiring an additional 3,157 shares during the period. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter worth approximately $272,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter worth about $41,407,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at about $69,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 67,882 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,280,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of CRH from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. HSBC began coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Monday, November 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $116.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of CRH from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of CRH from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat, CRH currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $108.45.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of CRH opened at $97.34 on Friday. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $71.18 and a 1 year high of $110.97. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $95.84. The firm has a market cap of $66.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is 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.