William Blair Investment Management LLC Acquires 362,899 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 903.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 403,052 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 362,899 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $37,290,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in CRH during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its position in CRH by 87.7% in the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup decreased their price objective on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.25.

CRH Stock Up 0.4 %

CRH stock opened at $97.40 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $99.45 and its 200-day moving average is $96.21. The company has a market cap of $65.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97.

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 dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.51%.

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.