CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Sold by Renaissance Investment Group LLC

Renaissance Investment Group LLC trimmed its position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH – Get Rating) by 28.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,744 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 24,312 shares during the period. Renaissance Investment Group LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $2,377,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Greenhaven Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. now owns 1,808,045 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $71,942,000 after buying an additional 13,090 shares during the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the 3rd quarter worth $12,212,000. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 94,623 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,050,000 after buying an additional 2,797 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 14,136.0% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 15,802 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $509,000 after buying an additional 15,691 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 31.0% during the 3rd quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 29,015 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $935,000 after buying an additional 6,860 shares during the last quarter. 5.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Stock Down 1.5 %

NYSE:CRH opened at $48.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $47.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.67. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $31.22 and a 1-year high of $52.20.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 17th will be given a $1.03 dividend. This is a boost from CRH’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.24. This represents a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 16th.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Thursday. They set a “strong-buy” rating for the company. Credit Suisse Group decreased their price target on shares of CRH from €50.00 ($53.76) to €48.00 ($51.61) and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 23rd. Redburn Partners raised shares of CRH from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of CRH from €50.00 ($53.76) to €48.00 ($51.61) and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $48.00.

CRH Company Profile

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CRH Plc manufactures and distributes building materials and products for the construction industry. It operates business through the following segments: Americas Materials, Europe Materials, and Building Products. The Americas Materials segment provides asphalt paving services and produces materials such as cement, aggregates, ready mixed concrete, and asphalt.