CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $107.75.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of CRH from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of CRH from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of CRH from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday.

CRH Price Performance

CRH stock opened at $102.46 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $98.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $95.26. CRH has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97. The stock has a market cap of $69.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.00%.

Institutional Trading of CRH

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CRH. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,391,245,000. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of CRH by 33.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 36,156,017 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,341,258,000 after buying an additional 9,055,354 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of CRH by 515.7% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,103,194 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $473,270,000 after buying an additional 4,274,336 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of CRH by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,788,918 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,553,194,000 after buying an additional 2,437,868 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in shares of CRH by 72.2% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,717,597 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $436,472,000 after buying an additional 1,978,225 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About CRH

CRH plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides building materials solutions in Ireland and internationally. It operates through four segments: Americas Materials Solutions, Americas Building Solutions, Europe Materials Solutions, and Europe Building Solutions. The company provides solutions for the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure and commercial and residential buildings; and produces and sells aggregates, cement, readymixed concrete, and asphalt, as well as provides paving and construction services.