LMR Partners LLP Increases Position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

LMR Partners LLP boosted its holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 233,780 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,327 shares during the period. LMR Partners LLP’s holdings in CRH were worth $21,629,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,391,245,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 4,687,345 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in CRH by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,553,194,000 after acquiring an additional 2,437,868 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in CRH by 72.2% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,717,597 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $436,472,000 after acquiring an additional 1,978,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in CRH by 931.3% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 1,977,992 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $183,004,000 after acquiring an additional 1,786,189 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CRH opened at $94.70 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.98 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $91.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.20.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 16.35% and a net margin of 9.86%. Equities research analysts expect that CRH plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com raised CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. 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. Loop Capital assumed coverage on CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average 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.