CRH Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:CRH)

Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 8,104 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 60% compared to the typical daily volume of 5,055 put options.

CRH Stock Down 4.4%

Shares of NYSE CRH traded down $5.57 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $121.81. 7,843,582 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,638,127. CRH has a 1 year low of $76.75 and a 1 year high of $131.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.26, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.34. The business has a 50 day moving average of $121.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.24.

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

CRH Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of CRH

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in shares of CRH during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in CRH by 87.6% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 212 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. United Community Bank grew its stake in CRH by 359.6% during the 3rd quarter. United Community Bank now owns 239 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in CRH during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 139.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 268 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of CRH from $110.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on CRH from $110.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Bank of America started coverage on CRH in a research note on Friday, September 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $128.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $138.00 price target (up from $133.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $136.20.

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.