Boston Common Asset Management LLC Acquires 49,896 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 21.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 284,702 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,896 shares during the period. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $25,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CRH. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in CRH by 214.3% in the 4th 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. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Stock Down 3.5%

CRH opened at $91.90 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $91.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.19. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97. The company has a market capitalization of $62.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.38, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. CRH had a net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that CRH plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRH has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $114.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $112.58.

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.