Russell Investments Group Ltd. Trims Stock Position in Crh Plc $CRH

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its holdings in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) by 13.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 374,148 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 56,856 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in CRH were worth $44,342,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,007,932,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in CRH by 24.3% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 12,803,346 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,175,347,000 after purchasing an additional 2,499,558 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new position in CRH during the third quarter worth approximately $295,798,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in CRH by 45.3% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 6,031,903 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $553,729,000 after purchasing an additional 1,881,550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in CRH by 229.0% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,811,126 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $217,154,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,558 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:CRH opened at $104.00 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $69.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a 50 day moving average of $121.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $119.05. Crh Plc has a 52-week low of $76.75 and a 52-week high of $131.55.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.20 by ($0.68). CRH had a return on equity of 15.98% and a net margin of 10.02%.The firm had revenue of $5.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.02 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. CRH has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.600-6.050 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of CRH from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on CRH from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on CRH from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on CRH from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CRH presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $137.86.

CRH Company Profile

CRH plc, originally formed as Cement Roadstone Holdings in 1970 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a global building materials group. The company has grown from its Irish roots into one of the largest international suppliers of construction materials, expanding primarily through acquisitions and regional business development. CRH operates an integrated network of manufacturing and distribution businesses that serve both public and private construction markets.

CRH’s core activities include the production and distribution of aggregates, cement, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and other bulk materials, together with a broad range of value-added building products such as precast concrete, masonry, bricks, roofing products, pipe and drainage systems, and construction accessories.