Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 25,128 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 489,789 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,128 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in CRH were worth $45,668,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CRH during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its stake in CRH by 87.7% in the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 505 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in CRH in the fourth quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in CRH by 111.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 668 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Stock Down 4.4 %

CRH stock opened at $88.09 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $99.77 and a 200-day moving average of $96.68. The company has a market cap of $59.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.62, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. CRH plc has a twelve month low of $71.18 and a twelve month high of $110.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on CRH. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $109.64.

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.