Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 49.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 320,213 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 105,299 shares during the period. CRH comprises 1.0% of Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $29,626,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CRH. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its position in CRH by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 2,335 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its position in CRH by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 755 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in CRH by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,810 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $630,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in CRH by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,367 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $405,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in CRH by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 971 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CRH. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. One equities research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $112.36.

CRH Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE CRH opened at $94.70 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $63.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.94, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33. CRH plc has a 12-month low of $71.18 and a 12-month high of $110.97. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $91.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.20.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. CRH had a net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. On average, equities analysts forecast that CRH plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. CRH’s payout ratio is currently 23.52%.

CRH Company 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.