Renaissance Group LLC Lowers Stock Position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Renaissance Group LLC trimmed its stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 16.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 97,085 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 19,754 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Group LLC's holdings in CRH were worth $8,982,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its holdings in CRH by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,562,962 shares of the construction company's stock worth $144,605,000 after purchasing an additional 114,072 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its stake in CRH by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 32,557 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,012,000 after buying an additional 5,889 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in CRH by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,450,632 shares of the construction company's stock worth $226,732,000 after buying an additional 232,977 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in CRH by 31.8% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 23,253 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,151,000 after buying an additional 5,610 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in CRH by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 72,778 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $6,733,000 after acquiring an additional 12,076 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on CRH shares. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock 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 report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CRH currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $110.00.

CRH Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of CRH traded up $1.49 on Friday, reaching $84.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,355,852 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,637,151. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.31 billion, a PE ratio of 16.95, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $96.40 and a 200-day moving average of $96.26.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. CRH's dividend payout ratio is 22.66%.

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.