Quantbot Technologies LP Acquires New Shares in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 67,386 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,813,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Orion Capital Management LLC boosted its position in CRH by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. acquired a new position in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, WASHINGTON TRUST Co acquired a new position in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CRH. 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 for the company. Citigroup cut their price objective on CRH from $109.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of CRH from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “hold” rating and set a $82.00 price target (up previously from $80.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of CRH from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CRH currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.90.

CRH Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of CRH stock traded down $0.19 during trading on Friday, reaching $79.42. 4,731,027 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,476,296. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $51.59 and a 1-year high of $88.00. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $78.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.55.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 10th. The construction company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.60 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CRH plc will post 5.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a Variable dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th were paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. This is a boost from CRH’s previous Variable dividend of $0.23.

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.