Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Purchases 766 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. grew its position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 48,227 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 766 shares during the period. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in CRH were worth $4,462,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CRH. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of CRH in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, Spire Wealth Management acquired a new position in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at about $57,000. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE CRH opened at $95.99 on Wednesday. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $71.18 and a 1 year high of $110.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $99.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.25.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.