CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Brokerages

CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $112.58.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CRH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of CRH from $127.00 to $108.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Loop Capital began coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $114.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRH

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CRH. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in CRH by 62.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 63,755,468 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,608,567,000 after buying an additional 24,591,538 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in CRH by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 40,843,362 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,781,004,000 after buying an additional 4,687,345 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in CRH by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,553,194,000 after buying an additional 2,437,868 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in CRH in the 4th quarter worth about $1,391,245,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in CRH by 43.2% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,303,788 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $906,424,000 after buying an additional 3,108,416 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Price Performance

Shares of CRH opened at $97.59 on Thursday. CRH has a one year low of $71.18 and a one year high of $110.97. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $96.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.94 billion, a PE ratio of 19.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). CRH had a return on equity of 16.35% and a net margin of 9.86%. The company had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.77 billion. Analysts expect that CRH will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. CRH’s payout ratio is 23.52%.

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.