CRH (NYSE:CRH) Reaches New 52-Week Low Following Analyst Downgrade

Key Points

• CRH shares fell to a new 52-week low, trading as low as $85.12 after UBS cut its price target from $147 to $135, while maintaining a buy rating.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with CRH carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $138.77, despite recent downgrades from Wells Fargo and Citigroup.
• CRH reported better-than-expected quarterly results, including $2.21 in EPS and $10.78 billion in revenue, and recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.39 per share, representing a 1.8% yield.

Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday after UBS Group lowered their price target on the stock from $147.00 to $135.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. CRH traded as low as $85.12 and last traded at $85.3340, with a volume of 610020 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $88.04.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on CRH. Berenberg Bank set a $140.00 price target on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on CRH from $132.00 to $107.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Citigroup downgraded CRH from a "buy" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. DA Davidson started coverage on CRH in a research note on Monday, August 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $137.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.77.

Institutional Trading of CRH

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Waddell & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in CRH by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 2,352 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its stake in CRH by 51.2% in the first quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 304 shares of the construction company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in CRH by 4.3% in the second quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,658 shares of the construction company's stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Optas LLC lifted its position in shares of CRH by 4.5% during the first quarter. Optas LLC now owns 2,695 shares of the construction company's stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cloverfields Capital Group LP boosted its stake in shares of CRH by 0.3% during the first quarter. Cloverfields Capital Group LP now owns 37,937 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,988,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.50% of the company's stock.

CRH Stock Down 2.9%

The stock's 50 day moving average price is $95.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $103.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.90 billion, a PE ratio of 15.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.33.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $10.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.68 billion. CRH had a net margin of 9.93% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.94 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Crh Plc will post 5.9 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 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. CRH's dividend payout ratio is 27.51%.

CRH Company Profile

CRH plc is a global building materials company that supplies products and solutions used in residential, commercial and infrastructure construction. Its offerings include aggregates, cement, ready-mixed concrete, asphalt, architectural products, precast concrete and other construction-related materials and services.

The company serves customers across North America and Europe, with operations spanning construction materials, infrastructure products and building solutions. CRH supports projects such as roads, bridges, airports, utilities, commercial buildings and residential developments.

CRH was formed in 1970 through the merger of Cement Limited and Roadstone, two Irish building materials businesses.

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