CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Acquired by Swedbank AB

Swedbank AB boosted its stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 68.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 170,442 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 69,418 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in CRH were worth $15,807,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Greenhaven Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CRH by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. now owns 11,155,273 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,034,540,000 after acquiring an additional 35,209 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in CRH by 5.3% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,618,144 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $646,188,000 after purchasing an additional 431,172 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in CRH by 36,503.4% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,838,972 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $361,278,000 after purchasing an additional 4,825,752 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in CRH by 103.9% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,642,729 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $348,112,000 after purchasing an additional 2,365,589 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of CRH by 35.7% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,238,173 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $317,778,000 after buying an additional 1,114,177 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on CRH shares. Hsbc Global Res upgraded CRH to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. HSBC began coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Monday, November 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $116.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of CRH from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.42.

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock opened at $102.87 on Wednesday. CRH plc has a 12 month low of $61.51 and a 12 month high of $103.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.87 billion, a PE ratio of 20.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.29. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $94.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $85.96.

CRH Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a Variable dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.262 per share. This represents a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.20%.

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.