CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Holdings Boosted by Sunbelt Securities Inc.

Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 3,320.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,334 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,295 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc.’s holdings in CRH were worth $115,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 144.4% during the 1st quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,435 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $641,000 after acquiring an additional 4,393 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 26,321 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,270,000 after acquiring an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. VanderPol Investments L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the 1st quarter valued at $202,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 26,206 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,261,000 after acquiring an additional 1,168 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on CRH. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of CRH from $89.70 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Stephens began coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Vertical Research began coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, March 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of CRH from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.11.

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock opened at $74.98 on Friday. CRH plc has a fifty-two week low of $51.59 and a fifty-two week high of $88.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $78.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.17.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 10th. The construction company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.60 billion. Analysts forecast that CRH plc will post 5.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a Variable dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous Variable dividend of $0.23.

CRH 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.