Marshall Wace LLP Boosts Position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,819,389 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 392,028 shares during the period. CRH makes up 0.4% of Marshall Wace LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.56% of CRH worth $353,370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in CRH by 7.9% during the 4th 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 grew 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 acquiring an additional 5,889 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in CRH by 10.5% during the 4th 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 during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 5,610 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew 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 own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on CRH shares. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $114.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.36.

CRH Trading Down 0.3 %

CRH stock traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $84.79. The company had a trading volume of 5,452,284 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,646,412. The stock has a market cap of $57.34 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $94.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $95.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

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

CRH Company 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.