Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Acquires Shares of 140,609 CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 140,609 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,128,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Orion Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 71.5% during the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 415 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. bought a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE CRH opened at $81.74 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $78.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.63. CRH plc has a 12-month low of $51.59 and a 12-month high of $88.00.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 10th. The construction company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.60 billion. Research analysts expect that CRH plc will post 5.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a Variable dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. This is an increase from CRH’s previous Variable dividend of $0.23. This represents a yield of 1.7%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CRH shares. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of CRH from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “hold” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective (up previously from $80.00) on shares of CRH in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of CRH from $109.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of CRH from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $87.00 to $88.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.90.

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.