Russell Investments Group Ltd. Lowers Stock Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 23.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 691,931 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 207,503 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.10% of CRH worth $64,060,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CRH. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter worth about $1,391,245,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of CRH by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,553,194,000 after purchasing an additional 2,437,868 shares during the last quarter. AGF Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 4,264.7% in the fourth quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 1,034,527 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $95,714,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010,825 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in shares of CRH by 32,560.1% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 951,714 shares of the construction company's stock worth $88,053,000 after purchasing an additional 948,800 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in CRH by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,609,451 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $796,546,000 after buying an additional 826,758 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Loop Capital initiated coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $114.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CRH has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $110.00.

CRH Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE CRH traded up $1.49 during trading on Friday, reaching $84.75. The company had a trading volume of 5,355,852 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,628,707. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $96.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.31 billion, a PE ratio of 16.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. This is a positive change from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. 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.