Dnca Finance Sells 178,070 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Dnca Finance trimmed its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 18.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 764,356 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 178,070 shares during the period. CRH makes up about 5.6% of Dnca Finance’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Dnca Finance’s holdings in CRH were worth $72,211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of CRH. FMR LLC increased its stake in CRH by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 40,843,362 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,781,004,000 after purchasing an additional 4,687,345 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in CRH by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,163,930 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,624,719,000 after acquiring an additional 145,101 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CRH by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,553,194,000 after purchasing an additional 2,437,868 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,391,245,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,609,451 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $796,546,000 after purchasing an additional 826,758 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Stock Performance

NYSE:CRH opened at $84.79 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $57.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. CRH plc has a one year low of $71.18 and a one year high of $110.97. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $94.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CRH has been the topic of several research reports. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Loop Capital began coverage on CRH in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $112.36.

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.