Capital Wealth Planning LLC Increases Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Capital Wealth Planning LLC raised its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 49.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 41,436 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,668 shares during the period. Capital Wealth Planning LLC's holdings in CRH were worth $3,107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in CRH. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter worth about $858,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in CRH by 30.3% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 2,066 shares of the construction company's stock worth $142,000 after buying an additional 481 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance bought a new position in CRH in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 164,110 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $11,350,000 after buying an additional 14,166 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter worth $1,014,454,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Trading Up 1.9 %

CRH traded up $1.67 during trading on Monday, reaching $89.16. 3,096,230 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,177,083. CRH plc has a one year low of $51.59 and a one year high of $91.02. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $83.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $81.55.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The construction company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.85. The company had revenue of $9.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.16 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that CRH plc will post 5.45 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRH has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of CRH from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $87.00 to $88.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. StockNews.com cut CRH from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Stephens began coverage on CRH in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson upped 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. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CRH presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $95.70.

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.