CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Shares Sold by Leuthold Group LLC

Leuthold Group LLC lessened its position in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 4.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 98,484 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 4,075 shares during the quarter. CRH comprises 1.0% of Leuthold Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $9,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of CRH by 35,497.5% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,082,961 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $438,455,000 after acquiring an additional 5,068,682 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in CRH by 36,503.4% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,838,972 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $361,278,000 after purchasing an additional 4,825,752 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in CRH by 2,199.7% during the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 3,342,432 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $288,383,000 after purchasing an additional 3,197,092 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in CRH by 1,095.0% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,275,591 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $282,512,000 after purchasing an additional 3,001,488 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in CRH by 103.9% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,642,729 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $348,112,000 after purchasing an additional 2,365,589 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Stock Performance

CRH stock opened at $92.44 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $63.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.30. CRH plc has a one year low of $53.05 and a one year high of $94.14. The business has a fifty day moving average of $89.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.95.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The construction company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.85. The company had revenue of $9.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.16 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that CRH plc will post 5.44 EPS for the current year.

CRH Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 23rd. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CRH. StockNews.com downgraded shares of CRH from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on CRH from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley raised CRH from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $87.00 to $88.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Citigroup cut their price target on CRH from $109.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of CRH from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CRH has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.70.

About CRH

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.