Zions Bancorporation N.A. Trims Stock Position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Zions Bancorporation N.A. decreased its holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,645 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 164 shares during the quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A.’s holdings in CRH were worth $615,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in CRH by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,562,962 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $144,605,000 after purchasing an additional 114,072 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in shares of CRH by 22.1% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 32,557 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,012,000 after buying an additional 5,889 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in CRH by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,450,632 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $226,732,000 after acquiring an additional 232,977 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in CRH by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 23,253 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,151,000 after acquiring an additional 5,610 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in CRH by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 72,778 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,733,000 after acquiring an additional 12,076 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CRH shares. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup decreased their price objective 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. StockNews.com raised shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, CRH currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.64.

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock opened at $94.63 on Thursday. CRH plc has a 12-month low of $71.18 and a 12-month high of $110.97. The company has a market capitalization of $64.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $100.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.61.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. CRH’s payout ratio is presently 15.51%.

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.