Nuveen Asset Management LLC Sells 86,204 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC reduced its position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,633,084 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 86,204 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.98% of CRH worth $613,737,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CRH by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,562,962 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $144,605,000 after acquiring an additional 114,072 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its position in CRH by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 32,557 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,012,000 after purchasing an additional 5,889 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in CRH by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,450,632 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $226,732,000 after purchasing an additional 232,977 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 31.8% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 23,253 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,151,000 after purchasing an additional 5,610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in shares of CRH by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 72,778 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,733,000 after purchasing an additional 12,076 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of CRH stock opened at $98.21 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $66.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.64, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $91.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.26.

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

CRH Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is 23.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRH has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Loop Capital began coverage on CRH in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, CRH has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $112.58.

CRH 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.