CRH (NYSE:CRH) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $129.75 and last traded at $127.1710, with a volume of 262937 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $128.87.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Monday, December 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on CRH from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on CRH from $152.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Barclays raised their price target on CRH from $110.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Friday, September 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $128.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.86.

CRH Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $83.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $120.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.92.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The construction company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.27. CRH had a return on equity of 16.25% and a net margin of 9.30%.The firm had revenue of $11.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.97 earnings per share. CRH’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. CRH has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.490-5.720 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Crh Plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st were issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. CRH’s payout ratio is presently 22.11%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the second quarter worth $27,000. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its holdings in shares of CRH by 59.9% during the second quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 307 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. United Community Bank boosted 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 purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Finally, Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of CRH by 1,835.3% in the 2nd quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 329 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Company 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.