Bridgewater Associates LP Buys 60,974 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Bridgewater Associates LP boosted its position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 252.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 85,155 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 60,974 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP's holdings in CRH were worth $7,879,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,391,245,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CRH by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 40,843,362 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,781,004,000 after purchasing an additional 4,687,345 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in CRH by 17.0% in 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 purchasing an additional 2,437,868 shares during the period. AGF Management Ltd. increased its stake in CRH by 4,264.7% during the 4th quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 1,034,527 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $95,714,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010,825 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in CRH by 32,560.1% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 951,714 shares of the construction company's stock worth $88,053,000 after buying an additional 948,800 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Loop Capital assumed coverage on CRH in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.36.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of CRH traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $84.79. The stock had a trading volume of 5,452,284 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,656,917. The firm has a market cap of $57.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.96, 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. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $94.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.02.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. CRH's dividend payout ratio is 22.66%.

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.