Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Buys 766 Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 48,227 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 766 shares during the quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in CRH were worth $4,462,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CRH by 6,859.4% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 191,105 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $17,723,000 after acquiring an additional 188,359 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in CRH by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 24,510 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,273,000 after purchasing an additional 1,274 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in CRH by 11.9% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 307,186 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,488,000 after purchasing an additional 32,564 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in shares of CRH by 40.1% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 5,508 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New England Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 19.6% during the third quarter. New England Asset Management Inc. now owns 63,351 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,875,000 after purchasing an additional 10,383 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of CRH stock opened at $95.99 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $99.52 and its 200 day moving average is $96.25. CRH plc has a one year low of $71.18 and a one year high of $110.97. The firm has a market cap of $64.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.20, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 is an increase 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CRH has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CRH currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.