Virtu Financial LLC Sells 31,036 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Virtu Financial LLC reduced its holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 80.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,578 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 31,036 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $701,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of CRH by 33.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 36,156,017 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,341,258,000 after acquiring an additional 9,055,354 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 515.7% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,103,194 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $473,270,000 after purchasing an additional 4,274,336 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,351,050 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,329,796,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148,708 shares during the period. AGF Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of CRH by 4,264.7% during the fourth quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 1,034,527 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $95,714,000 after buying an additional 1,010,825 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of CRH by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,609,451 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $796,546,000 after buying an additional 826,758 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CRH shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com raised CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on shares of CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, CRH presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $109.64.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of CRH stock opened at $97.93 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $99.94 and its 200-day moving average is $96.53. The stock has a market cap of $66.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. CRH plc has a 52-week low of $71.18 and a 52-week high of $110.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.