CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Stake Increased by First Eagle Investment Management LLC

First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,367 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in CRH during the third quarter worth $35,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CRH in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its stake in CRH by 87.7% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter worth $57,000. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

CRH Price Performance

CRH opened at $97.08 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $99.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.15. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 is an increase from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is 15.51%.

CRH Company 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.