Gabelli Funds LLC Purchases 3,300 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Gabelli Funds LLC increased its stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 55.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,300 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC's holdings in CRH were worth $860,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

CRH Trading Up 2.2 %

CRH stock traded up $2.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $93.36. 2,909,065 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,731,322. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $93.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.91. The stock has a market cap of $63.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a positive change from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.59%. CRH's payout ratio is currently 22.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on CRH. Loop Capital initiated coverage on CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $112.36.

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.