Yaupon Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Yaupon Capital Management LP bought a new stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 464,115 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,940,000. CRH accounts for about 1.8% of Yaupon Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in CRH. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in shares of CRH by 214.3% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its stake in CRH by 87.7% in the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of CRH by 46.3% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 559 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CRH currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $112.36.

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock opened at $82.86 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $94.21 and a 200-day moving average of $96.02. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $71.18 and a 1 year high of $110.97. The company has a market capitalization of $56.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. This is an increase from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.66%.

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.