Geode Capital Management LLC Sells 8,726 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Geode Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,976,630 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 8,726 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 1.17% of CRH worth $736,088,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its stake in CRH by 214.3% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its position in shares of CRH by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Spire Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup decreased their target price on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on shares of CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $109.64.

CRH Price Performance

CRH traded down $0.19 during trading on Monday, reaching $80.68. The company had a trading volume of 3,083,846 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,540,740. The company has a market cap of $54.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.04, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. CRH plc has a 12 month low of $71.18 and a 12 month high of $110.97. The business's fifty day moving average price is $98.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.71.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.37 dividend. This is a boost from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. CRH's payout ratio is currently 22.66%.

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.