CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Bought by World Investment Advisors

World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 13.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,558 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in CRH were worth $237,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CRH during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in CRH by 214.3% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CRH during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its stake in CRH by 87.7% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in CRH during the fourth quarter worth $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Loop Capital started coverage on CRH in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $110.00.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CRH opened at $89.11 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $60.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50-day moving average of $96.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.35. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $71.18 and a 1 year high of $110.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. This is an increase from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. CRH’s payout ratio is 22.66%.

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.