Fmr LLC Purchases 4,687,345 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Fmr LLC grew its position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 13.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 40,843,362 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,687,345 shares during the period. Fmr LLC owned about 6.01% of CRH worth $3,781,004,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in shares of CRH by 15.9% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,958 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $738,000 after buying an additional 1,091 shares during the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP acquired a new stake in CRH during the 3rd quarter valued at $230,000. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in CRH by 5.7% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 186,687 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $17,318,000 after purchasing an additional 10,019 shares during the period. IHT Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the third quarter valued at $240,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in shares of CRH by 153.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,643 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $152,000 after purchasing an additional 996 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CRH opened at $80.63 on Friday. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $71.18 and a 1 year high of $110.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $98.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.66.

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 $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change 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 (DPR) is 22.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.