CRH (NYSE:CRH) Hits New 52-Week Low - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• CRH shares fell to a new 52-week low of $82.17, last trading around $83.82, below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Despite the decline, analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average price target of $139.54; most ratings are Buy or Strong Buy, though Citigroup downgraded the stock to “Cautious.”
• CRH exceeded quarterly expectations with $2.21 in EPS and $10.78 billion in revenue, while offering a quarterly dividend of $0.39, equivalent to a 1.9% annual yield.

Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday. The company traded as low as $82.17 and last traded at $83.8160, with a volume of 7738340 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $85.04.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Friday, September 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $139.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Monday, August 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $137.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of CRH from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of CRH from a "buy" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $139.54.

CRH Stock Down 1.4%

The stock has a market cap of $55.76 billion, a PE ratio of 14.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $94.08 and a 200 day moving average of $103.00.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $10.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.68 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 9.93%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Crh Plc will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. CRH's dividend payout ratio is 27.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new position in CRH during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 51.2% during the first quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 304 shares of the construction company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in CRH during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in CRH during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company's stock.

About CRH

CRH plc is a global building materials company headquartered in Ireland. Formerly known as Cement Roadstone Holdings, the company was formed in 1970 through the merger of Cement Limited and Roadstone Limited. CRH provides materials, products and services used in residential, commercial and infrastructure construction.

Its portfolio includes aggregates, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete, cement, architectural products, precast concrete, paving and construction accessories. The company serves customers across the construction value chain, including contractors, distributors, homebuilders and infrastructure developers.

CRH operates primarily in North America and Europe, with businesses spanning the United States, Canada and multiple European markets.

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