Lingohr Asset Management GmbH Invests $326,000 in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Lingohr Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,521 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $326,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CRH. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in CRH by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,562,962 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $144,605,000 after acquiring an additional 114,072 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 5,889 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 valued at $226,732,000 after purchasing an additional 232,977 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of CRH by 31.8% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 23,253 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,151,000 after purchasing an additional 5,610 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of CRH by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 72,778 shares of the construction company's stock worth $6,733,000 after purchasing an additional 12,076 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

CRH Trading Up 3.5 %

CRH stock traded up $3.28 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $97.93. 18,722,760 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,060,884. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $99.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.53. CRH plc has a fifty-two week low of $71.18 and a fifty-two week high of $110.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. This is an increase from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. CRH's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.