Dnca Finance Sells 178,070 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Dnca Finance trimmed its position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 18.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 764,356 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 178,070 shares during the quarter. CRH comprises 5.6% of Dnca Finance’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Dnca Finance owned approximately 0.11% of CRH worth $72,211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CRH in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in CRH by 214.3% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its holdings in CRH by 87.7% in the 4th 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, GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in CRH by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 559 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $112.36.

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock opened at $84.79 on Friday. 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 $57.34 billion, a PE ratio of 16.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $95.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. CRH’s payout ratio is currently 22.66%.

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.