Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Invests $1.82 Million in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 24,323 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,824,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the 1st quarter valued at about $71,172,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CRH by 211.8% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 38,683 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,337,000 after acquiring an additional 26,276 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of CRH by 2,426.7% in the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,826,501 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $195,481,000 after purchasing an additional 2,714,634 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC bought a new position in shares of CRH during the 1st quarter valued at $4,041,000. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CRH in the 1st quarter worth $1,277,000. 62.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stephens started coverage on CRH in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of CRH from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of CRH from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of CRH from $109.00 to $99.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.70.

CRH Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of CRH stock traded up $0.74 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $88.15. 4,310,955 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,257,594. The firm has a market cap of $60.53 billion, a PE ratio of 14.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.30. The company's 50 day moving average is $79.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.19. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $51.59 and a 1 year high of $88.80.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The construction company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.85. The firm had revenue of $9.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.16 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that CRH plc will post 5.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, August 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 23rd. CRH's payout ratio is currently 29.97%.

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.