National Bank of Canada FI Acquires 948,800 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 32,560.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 951,714 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 948,800 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned approximately 0.14% of CRH worth $88,053,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CRH. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CRH during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 214.3% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CRH in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its stake in shares of CRH by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in CRH during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup lowered their price target on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, CRH presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.64.

CRH Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:CRH opened at $88.88 on Wednesday. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97. The company has a market cap of $60.11 billion, a PE ratio of 17.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50 day moving average is $99.37 and its 200 day moving average is $96.78.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders 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 represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.