Pitcairn Co. Acquires 525 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Pitcairn Co. boosted its holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,488 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 525 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in CRH were worth $600,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 2,335 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in CRH by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,810 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $630,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its stake in CRH by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,367 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in CRH by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 971 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manitou Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of CRH by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Manitou Investment Management Ltd. now owns 11,203 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on CRH shares. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.64.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CRH opened at $80.63 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $98.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.61. CRH plc has a 52-week low of $71.18 and a 52-week high of $110.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.51%.

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.