Essex Financial Services Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 18.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,778 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 739 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in CRH were worth $442,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in CRH by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,562,962 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $144,605,000 after acquiring an additional 114,072 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in CRH by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 32,557 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,012,000 after purchasing an additional 5,889 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of CRH by 31.8% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 23,253 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,151,000 after purchasing an additional 5,610 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of CRH by 48.2% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,484,746 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $231,206,000 after purchasing an additional 808,061 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in shares of CRH by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 72,778 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,733,000 after purchasing an additional 12,076 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on CRH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on CRH from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays started coverage on CRH in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial increased their price objective on CRH from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $107.75.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of CRH stock opened at $104.33 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.86 billion, a PE ratio of 20.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $97.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $93.34. CRH plc has a 12 month low of $71.18 and a 12 month high of $105.58.

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.