Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Raises Stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 84.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,852,817 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 848,075 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. owned about 0.26% of CRH worth $128,035,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. purchased a new stake in CRH in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. WASHINGTON TRUST Co purchased a new stake in CRH in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its position in shares of CRH by 139.0% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 545 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Trading Down 2.6 %

NYSE CRH opened at $80.29 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $81.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.55. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $47.14 and a 1 year high of $88.00.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a Variable dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 17th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be given a $0.262 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 2%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CRH. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective (up previously from $80.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of CRH from $89.70 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of CRH from $101.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Vertical Research assumed coverage on CRH in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.31.

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.