Graham Capital Management L.P. Raises Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Graham Capital Management L.P. raised its position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 102.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 77,937 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 39,389 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in CRH were worth $7,211,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ethic Inc. increased its position in CRH by 82.5% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 5,760 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,603 shares in the last quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc grew its stake in CRH by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 356,231 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $32,958,000 after buying an additional 75,454 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co increased its position in shares of CRH by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 7,002 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $650,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of CRH by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 980,396 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $90,706,000 after acquiring an additional 13,081 shares during the period. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CRH by 931.3% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 1,977,992 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $183,004,000 after acquiring an additional 1,786,189 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of CRH stock opened at $94.70 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $64.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $91.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.13. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. CRH had a net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that CRH plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on CRH. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday. Loop Capital began coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One research 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $112.36.

CRH 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.