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

Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $112.82.

Several brokerages have commented on CRH. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $105.00 price target (down previously from $120.00) on shares of CRH in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on CRH in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital initiated coverage on CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRH

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in CRH by 62.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 63,755,468 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,608,567,000 after purchasing an additional 24,591,538 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter worth about $1,391,245,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of CRH in the 1st quarter valued at about $597,888,000. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of CRH by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 40,843,362 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,781,004,000 after acquiring an additional 4,687,345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of CRH by 43.2% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,303,788 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $906,424,000 after acquiring an additional 3,108,416 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE CRH traded up $0.27 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $97.10. The stock had a trading volume of 1,139,017 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,675,333. CRH has a 1-year low of $74.03 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $93.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.58. The company has a market capitalization of $65.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.56, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.26.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 15.88% and a net margin of 9.17%. On average, research analysts forecast that CRH will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. CRH's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.