Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Makes New Investment in Crh Plc $CRH

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 23,878 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,863,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in CRH during the second quarter worth $27,000. United Community Bank grew its position in shares of CRH by 359.6% in the 3rd quarter. United Community Bank now owns 239 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of CRH by 1,835.3% during the 2nd quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 329 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of CRH by 139.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 268 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in CRH in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CRH shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on CRH from $152.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. DA Davidson set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on CRH from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on CRH from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of CRH to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $136.27.

CRH Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of CRH stock opened at $124.07 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.33. Crh Plc has a twelve month low of $76.75 and a twelve month high of $131.55. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $118.67.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.20 by ($0.68). The company had revenue of $5.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.15 billion. CRH had a net margin of 10.02% and a return on equity of 15.98%. CRH’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.02 earnings per share. CRH has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.600-6.050 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Crh Plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.11%.

CRH 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.