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

Key Points

• Shares of CRH carry a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from 18 analysts (13 buy, 3 hold, 2 strong buy) with an average 12‑month target of $139.54 and several recent price‑target upgrades (e.g., Citi $155, UBS $147).
• CRH’s latest quarter missed expectations—$1.52 EPS vs. a $2.20 consensus and $9.42B revenue vs. $11.15B—although revenue was up 6.2% year‑over‑year and the company reported a 10.02% net margin and 15.98% ROE.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.39 (annualized $1.56), implying a ~1.3% yield and a payout ratio of about 28%.

Shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $139.5385.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CRH. UBS Group upped their price target on CRH from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of CRH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $139.00 price objective on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of CRH from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $120.00 target price on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, February 20th.

CRH Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE CRH opened at $116.10 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $77.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.03, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a 50 day moving average of $112.08 and a 200-day moving average of $117.91. CRH has a 1-year low of $86.82 and a 1-year high of $131.55.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The construction company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.20 by ($0.68). CRH had a net margin of 10.02% and a return on equity of 15.98%. The company had revenue of $9.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.02 earnings per share. CRH's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that CRH will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This is a boost from CRH's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. CRH's payout ratio is currently 28.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 794 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Waddell & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 2,352 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $294,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 4,000 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 34.8% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 356 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 2.4% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 4,126 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $495,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company's stock.

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.

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