Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. Lowers Position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,450 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 225 shares during the quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in CRH were worth $412,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,562,962 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $144,605,000 after buying an additional 114,072 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in CRH by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 32,557 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,012,000 after purchasing an additional 5,889 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in CRH by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,450,632 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $226,732,000 after purchasing an additional 232,977 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 31.8% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 23,253 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,151,000 after purchasing an additional 5,610 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in shares of CRH by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 72,778 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,733,000 after purchasing an additional 12,076 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on CRH. StockNews.com raised CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on 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, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CRH currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $109.64.

CRH Price Performance

NYSE CRH opened at $80.63 on Friday. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $71.18 and a 1 year high of $110.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.53 billion, a PE ratio of 16.13, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The business’s 50-day moving average is $98.48 and its 200 day moving average is $96.61.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm 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. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.