Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $137.8571.

A number of research analysts recently commented on CRH shares. Longbow Research began coverage on CRH in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, DA Davidson set a $120.00 price objective on shares of CRH in a research report on Friday, February 20th.

CRH Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE CRH opened at $101.65 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $116.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $118.24. CRH has a 52-week low of $76.75 and a 52-week high of $131.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.33.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The construction company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by ($0.68). The company had revenue of $9.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.15 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 15.98% and a net margin of 10.02%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.02 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CRH will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.26%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRH

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in CRH by 22.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 79,117,664 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $9,873,884,000 after acquiring an additional 14,623,673 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter valued at $1,476,939,000. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 81.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,895,205 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,106,927,000 after purchasing an additional 11,167,189 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of CRH by 67.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,709,575 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,827,252,000 after purchasing an additional 5,916,930 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in CRH in the third quarter worth about $295,798,000. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About CRH

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.