8-K

CRH PUBLIC LTD CO 8-K Report (Feb 22, 2011)

Filed February 22, 2011For Securities:CRH

Summary

CRH Public Limited Company (CRH) filed a Form 6-K on February 22, 2011, reporting a significant change in the holdings of The Growth Fund of America, Inc. (GFA). GFA has reduced its direct shareholding in CRH to 21,114,087 Ordinary Shares, representing 2.97% of the issued share capital, which is below the 3% threshold that previously required notification. This reduction constitutes an acquisition or disposal of voting rights. While GFA retains beneficial ownership of these shares, it has granted its investment adviser, Capital Research and Management Company (CRMC), proxy voting authority. As a result, GFA's control of voting rights in the Company is reported as 0%. This notification is a follow-up to previous disclosures from January 2010 and reflects a strategic decision by GFA regarding its investment and voting power in CRH.

Key Highlights

  • 1The Growth Fund of America, Inc. (GFA) has reduced its direct shareholding in CRH plc to 21,114,087 Ordinary Shares.
  • 2This new shareholding represents 2.97% of CRH's issued share capital, falling below the 3% notification threshold.
  • 3GFA has granted proxy voting authority to its investment adviser, Capital Research and Management Company (CRMC).
  • 4As a result of granting proxy voting authority, GFA's control of voting rights in CRH is reported as 0%.
  • 5The transaction date triggering the notification was February 15, 2011, and CRH was notified on February 17, 2011.
  • 6This filing serves to update previous notifications regarding GFA's holdings and voting rights.

Frequently Asked Questions

This filing is to report a change in the major shareholding of The Growth Fund of America, Inc. (GFA). GFA has reduced its direct ownership of CRH shares to below 3% of the total issued share capital and has also transferred its proxy voting authority to its investment adviser, CRMC, resulting in 0% direct control of voting rights.

GFA now holds 21,114,087 Ordinary Shares in CRH plc, which constitutes 2.97% of the company's issued share capital.

By granting proxy voting authority to CRMC, GFA has effectively relinquished its direct control over how its shares are voted at shareholder meetings, even though it retains beneficial ownership of the shares. This is reflected in the filing by reporting GFA's control of voting rights as 0%.

This filing updates previous notifications. GFA and CRMC had already provided notifications in January 2010, indicating that GFA's control of voting rights was 0% at that time due to the proxy arrangement. This latest filing reflects a further reduction in GFA's direct shareholding below a key reporting threshold.