Bailard Inc. Acquires Shares of 118,042 CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Bailard Inc. bought a new position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 118,042 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,164,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. bought a new position in CRH during the third quarter valued at about $1,484,901,000. Barclays PLC bought a new position in shares of CRH during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $941,562,000. Greenhaven Associates Inc. increased its stake in shares of CRH by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. now owns 11,141,937 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $770,576,000 after purchasing an additional 103,510 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of CRH by 1,136.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,587,277 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $469,982,000 after purchasing an additional 7,892,691 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in shares of CRH in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $418,653,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRH has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of CRH from $101.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $82.00 price target (up previously from $80.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Monday, April 15th. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, January 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of CRH from $89.70 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CRH presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.31.

CRH Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of CRH traded down $1.16 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $77.63. 2,990,889 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,619,186. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $82.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.58. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $47.14 and a 1 year high of $88.00.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a Variable dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 17th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.262 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th.

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.