Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV Buys 242,534 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV grew its holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 298.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 323,756 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 242,534 shares during the period. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV’s holdings in CRH were worth $30,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its stake in shares of 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. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its stake in shares of CRH by 87.7% in the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock opened at $98.21 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $91.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.26. CRH plc has a fifty-two week low of $71.18 and a fifty-two week high of $110.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.64, 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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 16.35% and a net margin of 9.86%. As a group, analysts predict that CRH plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CRH. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $115.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $112.58.

About CRH

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.