Bailard Inc. Purchases New Holdings in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Bailard Inc. acquired a new position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 118,042 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,164,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC purchased a new stake in shares of CRH during the third quarter valued at $941,562,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,358,000. Vanguard Group Inc. purchased a new stake in CRH in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,484,901,000. Asio Capital LLC grew its stake in CRH by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 54,015 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,736,000 after acquiring an additional 23,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the third quarter worth approximately $73,833,000. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of CRH stock traded down $1.16 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $77.63. 2,990,889 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,619,186. CRH plc has a 52-week low of $47.14 and a 52-week high of $88.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $82.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.58.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a Variable dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 17th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.262 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a yield of 2%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. DA Davidson started coverage on CRH in a research note on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $82.00 target price (up from $80.00) on shares of CRH in a report on Monday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on CRH from $89.70 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Vertical Research started coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of CRH from $101.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CRH has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.31.

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.