Essential Planning LLC. Purchases New Shares in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Essential Planning LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 22,640 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,171,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CRH. FMR LLC increased its position in CRH by 33.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 36,156,017 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,341,258,000 after acquiring an additional 9,055,354 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in CRH by 515.7% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,103,194 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $473,270,000 after acquiring an additional 4,274,336 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in CRH by 8.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,351,050 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,329,796,000 after acquiring an additional 1,148,708 shares during the last quarter. AGF Management Ltd. increased its position in CRH by 4,264.7% during the fourth quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 1,034,527 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $95,714,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010,825 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in CRH by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,609,451 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $796,546,000 after acquiring an additional 826,758 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on CRH. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, CRH has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.25.

CRH Price Performance

NYSE:CRH opened at $98.46 on Thursday. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The company has a 50-day moving average of $99.25 and a 200 day moving average of $95.99. The firm has a market cap of $66.65 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is 20.87%.

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.