Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Lowers Stock Position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp cut its stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 13.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 531,443 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 83,006 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned about 0.08% of CRH worth $49,271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CRH. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in CRH by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,163,930 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,624,719,000 after purchasing an additional 145,101 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of CRH by 33.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 36,156,017 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,341,258,000 after buying an additional 9,055,354 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,351,050 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,329,796,000 after buying an additional 1,148,708 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of CRH by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,139,233 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,218,532,000 after buying an additional 618,786 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in CRH by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,609,451 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $796,546,000 after acquiring an additional 826,758 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on shares of CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $109.64.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CRH traded down $4.05 during trading on Friday, hitting $88.09. 11,039,934 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,457,916. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $99.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.68. CRH plc has a 12-month low of $71.18 and a 12-month high of $110.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.62, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. CRH's payout ratio is 15.51%.

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.