Ethic Inc. Acquires 826 Shares of Crh Plc $CRH

Ethic Inc. grew its holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) by 12.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,215 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 826 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in CRH were worth $660,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its position in shares of CRH by 59.9% during the second quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 307 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in CRH by 86.7% during the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 448 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings in CRH by 255.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 426 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the 1st quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of CRH by 29.4% in the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 678 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of CRH opened at $120.95 on Tuesday. Crh Plc has a twelve month low of $76.75 and a twelve month high of $121.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50 day moving average of $114.95 and a 200-day moving average of $101.70.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.06 by ($0.12). CRH had a return on equity of 15.68% and a net margin of 9.09%.The business had revenue of $10.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.88 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. CRH’s payout ratio is currently 23.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on CRH shares. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $105.00 price objective (down from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Thursday, July 10th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays increased their price target on CRH from $110.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on CRH from $112.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $127.71.

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.