CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Acquired by UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp boosted its stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,018 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 557 shares during the period. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in CRH were worth $1,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its stake in shares of CRH by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 9,790 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $906,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in CRH by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC now owns 83,191 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,697,000 after buying an additional 7,000 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in CRH by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,654,094 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $338,129,000 after buying an additional 328,461 shares during the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in CRH by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,132 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $422,000 after buying an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in CRH by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 270,900 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,064,000 after buying an additional 30,541 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on CRH. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CRH currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $109.64.

CRH Trading Down 4.0 %

Shares of NYSE:CRH opened at $94.63 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $100.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. CRH plc has a 52 week low of $71.18 and a 52 week high of $110.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. This is an increase from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. CRH’s payout ratio is presently 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.