Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) Receives Average Rating of "Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• CRH Plc has received an average rating of "Buy" from analysts, with two hold ratings, eleven buy ratings, and three strong buy ratings among the sixteen firms covering the stock.
• The average 12-month price target for CRH's stock is approximately $124.31, with recent price target updates from various analysts, including a strong buy rating from Jefferies Financial Group.
• CRH announced a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 1.2% and a payout ratio of 23.22%.

Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Buy" from the sixteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $124.3077.

CRH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. UBS Group set a $152.00 price target on CRH in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial raised their price target on CRH from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $105.00 price objective (down previously from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRH

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in CRH by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,405,066 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $5,912,385,000 after acquiring an additional 649,598 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of CRH by 24.3% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 12,803,346 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,175,347,000 after purchasing an additional 2,499,558 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of CRH during the second quarter worth approximately $1,007,932,000. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in CRH by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,654,828 shares of the construction company's stock worth $888,810,000 after purchasing an additional 832,027 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in CRH by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 9,185,200 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $843,201,000 after purchasing an additional 354,711 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of CRH opened at $120.01 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.32. CRH has a twelve month low of $76.75 and a twelve month high of $121.88. The company has a 50 day moving average of $110.42 and a 200-day moving average of $98.42.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.06 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $10.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.27 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 15.68% and a net margin of 9.09%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.88 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that CRH will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. CRH's payout ratio is currently 23.22%.

About CRH

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.

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