Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. Sells 225 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,450 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 225 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in CRH were worth $412,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of CRH. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CRH in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 214.3% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its holdings in CRH by 87.7% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in CRH in the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. 62.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CRH shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.64.

CRH Trading Down 6.6 %

Shares of CRH stock opened at $80.63 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $98.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.61. CRH plc has a 12-month low of $71.18 and a 12-month high of $110.97. The company has a market cap of $54.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.13, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders 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 boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.51%.

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.