8-K

CRH PUBLIC LTD CO 8-K Report (Jan 9, 2008)

Filed January 9, 2008For Securities:CRH

Summary

CRH plc has filed a Form 6-K reporting a transaction in its own shares executed on January 8, 2008. On this date, UBS Limited, acting on behalf of CRH, purchased 102,342 ordinary shares at prices ranging from EUR 24.00 to EUR 24.70 per share. These repurchased shares will be held as treasury shares, a common practice for companies to manage their capital structure and potentially offset dilution from employee stock options or other share-based compensation plans. Following this transaction, CRH plc now holds a total of 184,842 ordinary shares in treasury. The report clarifies that the total number of ordinary shares currently in issue, excluding these treasury shares, stands at 547,042,352. This information is crucial for investors to understand the current share count and the company's ongoing share repurchase activities.

Key Highlights

  • 1CRH plc repurchased 102,342 ordinary shares on January 8, 2008.
  • 2The share repurchases were executed by UBS Limited on behalf of CRH plc.
  • 3The purchase price per share ranged between EUR 24.00 and EUR 24.70.
  • 4The repurchased shares will be held as treasury shares.
  • 5CRH plc's total treasury shares now amount to 184,842.
  • 6The number of ordinary shares in issue, excluding treasury shares, is 547,042,352.

Frequently Asked Questions

Treasury shares are shares that a company has repurchased from the open market. Companies hold them for various strategic reasons, including to reduce the number of outstanding shares (which can increase earnings per share), to have shares available for employee stock option plans or acquisitions, or to prevent dilution.

While the filing doesn't explicitly state the reason, companies typically repurchase shares as part of a share repurchase program, often aimed at returning capital to shareholders, boosting share price, or managing share count for other corporate purposes.

Share repurchases can be viewed positively by the market as they signal management's belief that the stock is undervalued and can lead to increased earnings per share (EPS) due to a reduced number of outstanding shares. However, the immediate impact on stock price depends on market sentiment and other factors.

After this transaction, the total number of ordinary shares in issue, excluding the 184,842 treasury shares, is 547,042,352.