Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases New Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 447,545 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,407,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.07% of CRH at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in CRH during the 4th quarter valued at about $69,000. Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in CRH by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 67,882 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,280,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in CRH by 32.8% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,122 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $196,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in CRH by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,450,632 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $226,732,000 after purchasing an additional 232,977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in CRH by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,520 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $788,000 after purchasing an additional 1,129 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CRH Stock Up 4.0 %

NYSE:CRH opened at $98.46 on Thursday. CRH plc has a 52 week low of $71.18 and a 52 week high of $110.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $99.25 and a 200 day moving average of $95.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.69, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $109.25.

CRH Company 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.