Steamboat Capital Partners LLC Cuts Stock Position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Steamboat Capital Partners LLC lessened its position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,095 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 773 shares during the quarter. CRH makes up 1.1% of Steamboat Capital Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Steamboat Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $3,525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in CRH by 214.3% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its holdings in CRH by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CRH has been the topic of several recent research reports. Loop Capital initiated coverage on CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $112.58.

CRH Price Performance

NYSE CRH opened at $98.98 on Friday. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The company has a market capitalization of $66.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.80, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $91.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.32.

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 the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). CRH had a net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. The firm had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.77 billion. On average, research analysts expect that CRH plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. CRH’s payout ratio is currently 23.52%.

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.