Intellus Advisors LLC Buys New Stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Intellus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 8,008 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $741,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in CRH by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 196,578 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $18,191,000 after buying an additional 18,071 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its position in CRH by 107.6% during the 4th quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 59,086 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,467,000 after purchasing an additional 30,624 shares during the period. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $326,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in CRH by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 455,560 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $42,148,000 after purchasing an additional 3,061 shares during the period. Finally, Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of CRH by 197.8% during the fourth quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 12,929 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,195,000 after purchasing an additional 8,588 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of CRH stock opened at $94.79 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $64.16 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $71.18 and a 1 year high of $110.97. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $99.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.30.

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 issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.