CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Sold by South Dakota Investment Council

South Dakota Investment Council lessened its position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 51.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 8,633 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 9,200 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in CRH were worth $597,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CRH. Vanguard Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the 3rd quarter worth $1,484,901,000. Barclays PLC purchased a new position in shares of CRH in the 3rd quarter valued at about $941,562,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 1,136.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,587,277 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $469,982,000 after purchasing an additional 7,892,691 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in shares of CRH in the 3rd quarter valued at about $418,653,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in shares of CRH in the 3rd quarter valued at about $416,982,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Stock Down 0.6 %

CRH stock opened at $77.20 on Friday. CRH plc has a 12-month low of $47.14 and a 12-month high of $88.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $82.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.62.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The construction company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $8.69 billion during the quarter. On average, research analysts anticipate that CRH plc will post 5.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a Variable dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 17th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.262 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 2%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on CRH shares. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of CRH from $89.70 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of CRH from $101.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “hold” rating and set a $82.00 target price (up from $80.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Vertical Research assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.31.

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.