Groupama Asset Managment Lowers Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Groupama Asset Managment reduced its position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 20.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 120,734 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 31,867 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in CRH were worth $11,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of CRH by 40.1% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 5,508 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $511,000 after acquiring an additional 1,577 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in CRH by 32.4% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 8,762 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $813,000 after purchasing an additional 2,144 shares in the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P bought a new stake in CRH during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,224,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 15.9% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,958 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $738,000 after buying an additional 1,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CRH during the 3rd quarter valued at $610,000. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CRH. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $109.64.

CRH Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:CRH opened at $88.04 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $99.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.77. The stock has a market cap of $59.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.51%.

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.