CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Sold by Boston Partners

Boston Partners cut its stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,329,005 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 220,098 shares during the period. CRH makes up 0.9% of Boston Partners' investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Boston Partners owned about 1.23% of CRH worth $773,228,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC lifted its position in CRH by 33.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 36,156,017 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,341,258,000 after buying an additional 9,055,354 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of CRH by 8.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,351,050 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,329,796,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148,708 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of CRH by 4.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,139,233 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,218,532,000 after purchasing an additional 618,786 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of CRH by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,609,451 shares of the construction company's stock worth $796,546,000 after purchasing an additional 826,758 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of CRH by 2.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,985,356 shares of the construction company's stock worth $738,113,000 after purchasing an additional 165,825 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on CRH. StockNews.com raised shares of CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CRH presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $109.25.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of CRH traded down $2.80 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $94.79. 37,706,618 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,999,080. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.16 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The business's 50 day moving average price is $99.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is an increase from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. CRH's payout ratio is 15.51%.

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.