National Bank of Canada FI Purchases 948,800 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 32,560.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 951,714 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 948,800 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned 0.14% of CRH worth $88,053,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in CRH by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,553,194,000 after acquiring an additional 2,437,868 shares in the last quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC raised its stake in shares of CRH by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC now owns 853,966 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $79,009,000 after purchasing an additional 5,603 shares in the last quarter. Summit Financial LLC lifted its position in CRH by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 19,154 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,772,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in CRH by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 308,286 shares of the construction company's stock worth $28,415,000 after buying an additional 37,657 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in CRH by 33.2% in the 4th quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 742 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Trading Down 6.6 %

NYSE CRH traded down $5.73 on Friday, hitting $80.63. 8,909,533 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,550,208. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $98.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.66. The company has a market cap of $54.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.13, a P/E/G 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a boost from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. CRH's dividend payout ratio is 22.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRH has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. 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 research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $109.64.

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.