CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Bought by UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lifted its stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 11,018 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 557 shares during the period. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in CRH were worth $1,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in CRH during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its holdings in CRH by 87.7% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in CRH in the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in CRH by 111.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 668 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CRH. StockNews.com raised shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. 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 report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup cut their price objective 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, Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.64.

CRH Trading Down 4.0 %

NYSE:CRH opened at $94.63 on Thursday. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $100.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.61.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is 15.51%.

CRH Company 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.