CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Sold by Anchor Capital Advisors LLC

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 0.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 704,086 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 6,049 shares during the quarter. CRH accounts for about 1.5% of Anchor Capital Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC owned about 0.10% of CRH worth $52,792,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in CRH during the first quarter worth about $26,000. NBC Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of CRH by 71.5% during the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 415 shares of the construction company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in CRH by 41.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 728 shares of the construction company's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on CRH shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of CRH from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $87.00 to $88.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Citigroup cut their target price on CRH from $109.00 to $99.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. DA Davidson raised their price target on CRH from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com cut CRH from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Stephens began coverage on CRH in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $95.70.

CRH Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE CRH traded up $0.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $85.33. The company had a trading volume of 6,131,565 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,231,336. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $82.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.27. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $51.59 and a 1-year high of $91.02.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The construction company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.85. The company had revenue of $9.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.16 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that CRH plc will post 5.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 23rd.

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.