Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 29,755 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Natixis Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 9.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 277,431 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 29,755 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $25,668,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in CRH during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its position in CRH by 87.7% in the 4th 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. Finally, Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $57,000. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRH has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.25.

CRH Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of CRH stock opened at $97.40 on Tuesday. CRH plc has a 12-month low of $71.18 and a 12-month high of $110.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $99.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.21.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 1.52%. This is a boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. CRH’s 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.