Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 16,683 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 717,078 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 16,683 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.11% of CRH worth $66,344,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC increased its holdings in CRH by 33.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 36,156,017 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,341,258,000 after purchasing an additional 9,055,354 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 515.7% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,103,194 shares of the construction company's stock worth $473,270,000 after purchasing an additional 4,274,336 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of CRH by 8.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,351,050 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,329,796,000 after buying an additional 1,148,708 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of CRH by 48.2% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,484,746 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $231,206,000 after buying an additional 808,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in CRH by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,688,831 shares of the construction company's stock worth $337,477,000 after buying an additional 649,993 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Monday, November 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $116.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of CRH from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on CRH from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded CRH from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $107.75.

CRH Trading Down 2.3 %

NYSE:CRH traded down $2.33 on Friday, hitting $100.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,263,437 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,483,675. CRH plc has a one year low of $71.18 and a one year high of $110.97. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $97.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

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.