CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Bought by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 8.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,448,890 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 107,266 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in CRH were worth $134,370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CRH. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in CRH by 35,497.5% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,082,961 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $438,455,000 after buying an additional 5,068,682 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in shares of CRH by 36,503.4% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,838,972 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $361,278,000 after acquiring an additional 4,825,752 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in CRH by 1,095.0% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,275,591 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $282,512,000 after purchasing an additional 3,001,488 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in CRH by 103.9% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,642,729 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $348,112,000 after purchasing an additional 2,365,589 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meritage Group LP purchased a new stake in CRH during the 1st quarter worth approximately $139,367,000. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on CRH. Hsbc Global Res upgraded CRH to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com raised CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. HSBC began coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $116.00 price objective for the company. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of CRH from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.55.

CRH Trading Down 1.0 %

CRH opened at $99.18 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $91.92 and its 200-day moving average is $84.52. The stock has a market cap of $67.71 billion, a PE ratio of 19.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.29. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $58.57 and a twelve month high of $102.51.

CRH Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Variable dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.262 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a yield of 1.4%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.00%.

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.