Swiss National Bank Sells 12,700 Shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH)

Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) by 0.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,916,160 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 12,700 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.28% of CRH worth $168,565,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 86.7% in the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 448 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CRH shares. Vertical Research raised CRH to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $112.00 price objective (up previously from $108.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Friday. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $105.00 price objective (down previously from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $113.18.

CRH Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of CRH opened at $109.56 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $74.02 billion, a PE ratio of 22.92, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.26. Crh Plc has a 12 month low of $76.75 and a 12 month high of $110.97. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $94.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.99.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.06 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $10.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.27 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 15.68% and a net margin of 9.09%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.88 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. CRH’s payout ratio is presently 23.22%.

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.