Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Buys Shares of 288,274 Crh Plc $CRH

Key Points

• Ferguson Wellman Capital Management opened a new position in CRH during the first quarter, buying 288,274 shares valued at about $30.3 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive: CRH has a consensus Buy rating, with 15 analysts rating it Buy or Strong Buy and an average price target of $141.19.
• CRH reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, including EPS of ($0.20) versus estimates of ($0.22) and revenue of $7.37 billion; the stock recently traded at $104.65 and also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.39.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 288,274 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $30,303,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CRH. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in CRH by 87.6% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 212 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in CRH during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in CRH by 29,400.0% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 295 shares of the construction company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of CRH from $135.00 to $132.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on CRH from $149.00 to $165.60 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings cut CRH from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $139.00 target price on shares of CRH in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $141.19.

CRH Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:CRH traded up $0.29 during trading on Friday, reaching $104.65. The company had a trading volume of 1,996,992 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,513,190. The company has a fifty day moving average of $107.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.32. Crh Plc has a 12 month low of $91.22 and a 12 month high of $131.55.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The construction company reported ($0.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.22) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $7.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. CRH had a net margin of 9.65% and a return on equity of 15.37%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. CRH has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.600-6.050 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Crh Plc will post 5.92 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. CRH's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.89%.

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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