Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Boosts Stock Position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. raised its holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 64.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 231,408 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 90,799 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in CRH were worth $17,247,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CRH. Greenhaven Associates Inc. lifted its stake in CRH by 0.8% during the second quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. now owns 11,120,064 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $833,782,000 after purchasing an additional 91,267 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in CRH by 5.3% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,618,144 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $646,188,000 after purchasing an additional 431,172 shares in the last quarter. Putnam Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of CRH by 3,384.4% during the 4th quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 6,781,697 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $469,022,000 after buying an additional 6,587,066 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of CRH by 35,497.5% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,082,961 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $438,455,000 after buying an additional 5,068,682 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of CRH by 103.9% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,642,729 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $348,112,000 after buying an additional 2,365,589 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRH has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of CRH from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $87.00 to $88.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Citigroup decreased their target price on CRH from $109.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on CRH from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of CRH from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Stephens started coverage on CRH in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.70.

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock opened at $92.89 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $84.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.78. CRH plc has a 1-year low of $51.59 and a 1-year high of $93.07. The company has a market cap of $63.79 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The construction company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85. The company had revenue of $9.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.16 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that CRH plc will post 5.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 23rd. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. CRH’s payout ratio is 29.72%.

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.