Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Sells 83,006 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp decreased its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 13.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 531,443 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 83,006 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in CRH were worth $49,271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CRH. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its stake in shares of CRH by 87.7% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of CRH by 111.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 668 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded 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, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $109.64.

CRH Stock Up 0.2 %

CRH stock opened at $98.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $100.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.62. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97. The company has a market capitalization of $66.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is 15.51%.

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.