Blue Grotto Capital LLC Buys 89,957 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Blue Grotto Capital LLC grew its stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 42.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 300,000 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 89,957 shares during the period. CRH accounts for about 5.1% of Blue Grotto Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Blue Grotto Capital LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $27,756,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. raised its holdings in CRH by 86.9% during the 4th quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. now owns 7,627 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $707,000 after purchasing an additional 3,547 shares during the last quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC raised its stake in CRH by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 38,912 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,600,000 after buying an additional 3,275 shares during the last quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lifted its holdings in CRH by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 11,018 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,019,000 after buying an additional 557 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its position in CRH by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 9,790 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $906,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in CRH by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC now owns 83,191 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,697,000 after acquiring an additional 7,000 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CRH Trading Up 0.2 %

CRH stock opened at $98.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $100.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.62. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.37 dividend. This is a boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $109.64.

About CRH

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.