Retirement Systems of Alabama Invests $17.80 Million in Crh Plc $CRH

Retirement Systems of Alabama purchased a new stake in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 142,589 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,795,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in CRH by 158.5% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,670 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $763,000 after purchasing an additional 5,316 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in CRH by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,178 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,159,000 after purchasing an additional 658 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CRH by 58.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,279 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $393,000 after buying an additional 1,579 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CRH by 90.5% in the 2nd quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 6,040 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $555,000 after buying an additional 2,870 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its position in shares of CRH by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 41,779 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,835,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. DA Davidson set a $120.00 price target on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Longbow Research started coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of CRH from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of CRH from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of CRH from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CRH presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.86.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of CRH stock opened at $106.20 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $115.30 and its 200 day moving average is $118.05. Crh Plc has a 1-year low of $76.75 and a 1-year high of $131.55. The company has a market cap of $70.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.24, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.35.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The construction company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by ($0.68). The firm had revenue of $9.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.15 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 15.98% and a net margin of 10.02%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.02 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This is a boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.26%.

CRH 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.