Raymond James Financial Inc. Buys New Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 447,545 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $41,407,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.07% of CRH as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CRH. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CRH in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its stake in shares of CRH by 214.3% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its holdings in CRH by 87.7% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Stock Performance

CRH stock traded down $1.25 during trading on Monday, hitting $83.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 331,083 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,636,058. The stock's fifty day moving average is $94.63 and its 200 day moving average is $96.07. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a positive change from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. CRH's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Loop Capital began coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup dropped their price target on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $112.36.

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.