CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $95.70.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CRH shares. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of CRH from $109.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Morgan Stanley upgraded CRH from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $87.00 to $88.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on CRH from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of CRH from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of CRH from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th.

CRH Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:CRH opened at $91.60 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $89.40 and a 200-day moving average of $82.85. CRH has a 12 month low of $51.59 and a 12 month high of $94.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.90 billion, a PE ratio of 15.24, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The construction company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.85. The firm had revenue of $9.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.16 billion. On average, research analysts predict that CRH will post 5.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 23rd were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 23rd. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.46%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRH

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CRH. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of CRH by 187.1% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 69,839 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,477,000 after acquiring an additional 45,516 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in CRH by 8.1% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,081 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $842,000 after purchasing an additional 683 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in CRH in the third quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Forsta AP Fonden boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 245,153 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $22,735,000 after buying an additional 7,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of CRH by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 8,726 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $809,000 after buying an additional 357 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

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.