CRH rallies as activist investor Cevian Capital discloses stake

Shares in CRH rallied on Wednesday as it emerged that Stockholm-based activist investor Cevian Capital has built a stake in the building materials group.

In an interview with Reuters, Cevian managing partner Christer Gardell said: "We have actively taken advantage of the recent market turbulence to make a number of new investments and add to some existing holdings.

"The group has many strong positions in attractive markets and we are convinced that CRH’s assets could become significantly more valuable."

Gardell did not disclose Cevian's exact stake.

At 0910 GMT, the shares were up 3.5% at 2,383p.

CMC Markets analyst David Madden said: "Traders are taking the view that the activist investor will pressure CRH’s management to make the company more efficient."