CRH (NYSE:CRH) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $92.38 and last traded at $92.4810, with a volume of 887680 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.29.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Stephens reduced their target price on CRH from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of CRH from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Monday, August 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $137.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of CRH from $135.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CRH currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.57.

CRH Trading Up 1.7%

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $100.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.82. The stock has a market cap of $61.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.33.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $10.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.68 billion. CRH had a net margin of 9.93% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.94 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Crh Plc will post 5.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in CRH by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,336,754 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $245,460,000 after buying an additional 93,106 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in shares of CRH by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 332,198 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,545,000 after acquiring an additional 38,141 shares during the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,229,000. Mirabaud Asset Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of CRH by 38.2% in the fourth quarter. Mirabaud Asset Management Ltd now owns 98,038 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $12,235,000 after acquiring an additional 27,118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of CRH by 16.5% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 223,644 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $23,507,000 after acquiring an additional 31,603 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Company Profile

CRH plc, originally formed as Cement Roadstone Holdings in 1970 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a global building materials group. The company has grown from its Irish roots into one of the largest international suppliers of construction materials, expanding primarily through acquisitions and regional business development. CRH operates an integrated network of manufacturing and distribution businesses that serve both public and private construction markets.

CRH’s core activities include the production and distribution of aggregates, cement, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and other bulk materials, together with a broad range of value-added building products such as precast concrete, masonry, bricks, roofing products, pipe and drainage systems, and construction accessories.