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

CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $109.25.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CRH shares. Citigroup decreased their target price on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price objective on CRH in a research report on Friday, February 28th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRH

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in CRH during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in shares of CRH by 214.3% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 352 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CRH in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Price Performance

NYSE CRH opened at $95.99 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $64.98 billion, a PE ratio of 19.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $99.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.25. CRH has a 1-year low of $71.18 and a 1-year high of $110.97.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.51%.

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.