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

Shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $139.5385.

A number of analysts have commented on CRH shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on CRH from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $139.00 target price on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. BNP Paribas Exane raised CRH to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Citigroup lifted their target price on CRH from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a report on Friday, February 20th.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CRH opened at $113.61 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $111.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.86. The company has a market cap of $75.92 billion, a PE ratio of 20.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.35. CRH has a 52-week low of $86.82 and a 52-week high of $131.55.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The construction company reported ($0.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $7.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.06 billion. CRH had a net margin of 10.02% and a return on equity of 15.98%. CRH has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.600-6.050 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that CRH will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is 28.26%.

Institutional Trading of CRH

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Impact Investors Inc purchased a new stake in CRH during the first quarter valued at $203,000. Lmcg Investments LLC increased its position in CRH by 14.7% during the first quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 61,802 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,497,000 after acquiring an additional 7,916 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in CRH during the first quarter valued at $218,000. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in CRH by 54.5% during the first quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,749 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $290,000 after acquiring an additional 970 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PUREfi Wealth LLC increased its position in CRH by 9.5% during the first quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC now owns 4,551 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $478,000 after acquiring an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

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.