Lazard Asset Management LLC Decreases Stake in Crh Plc $CRH

Lazard Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,062,396 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 115,892 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $281,127,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of CRH by 35.3% in the 1st quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 6,653 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $585,000 after acquiring an additional 1,737 shares during the period. Callan Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 4.4% in the first quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 3,074 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. Prudential PLC raised its stake in shares of CRH by 62.2% in the first quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 27,586 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,427,000 after purchasing an additional 10,577 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in CRH by 27.6% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,335,043 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $205,417,000 after buying an additional 504,788 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in CRH by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 116,849 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,279,000 after acquiring an additional 1,899 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRH has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on CRH from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson lifted their price target on CRH from $110.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Bank of America assumed coverage on CRH in a report on Friday, September 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $128.00 price target for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CRH currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $130.64.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CRH opened at $126.53 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $117.36 and a 200 day moving average of $107.45. The firm has a market cap of $84.81 billion, a PE ratio of 25.21, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.35. Crh Plc has a one year low of $76.75 and a one year high of $127.44.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The construction company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $11.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.15 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 16.25% and a net margin of 9.30%.The business’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.97 earnings per share. CRH has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.490-5.720 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st will be issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 21st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.11%.

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.