CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Purchased by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,549 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,766 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $1,831,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Barclays PLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the 3rd quarter valued at $941,562,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter worth about $3,358,000. Vanguard Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CRH during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,484,901,000. Asio Capital LLC lifted its holdings in CRH by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 54,015 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,736,000 after purchasing an additional 23,205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in CRH during the third quarter valued at approximately $73,833,000. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

CRH Trading Down 1.5 %

CRH stock opened at $79.76 on Wednesday. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $47.14 and a 1 year high of $88.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $82.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.07.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The construction company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $8.69 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CRH plc will post 5.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a Variable dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.262 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a yield of 2%.

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.