Analysts Set Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) PT at $137.86

Shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $137.8571.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CRH. Longbow Research initiated coverage on CRH in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $160.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on CRH from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Monday, December 1st. BNP Paribas Exane raised CRH to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of CRH from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRH

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 79,117,664 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $9,873,884,000 after purchasing an additional 14,623,673 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in CRH by 81.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,895,205 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,106,927,000 after purchasing an additional 11,167,189 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in CRH by 67.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,709,575 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,827,252,000 after purchasing an additional 5,916,930 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in CRH by 24.3% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 12,803,346 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,175,347,000 after purchasing an additional 2,499,558 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in CRH in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,476,939,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

CRH Stock Down 4.3%

Shares of NYSE:CRH opened at $106.36 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $71.07 billion, a PE ratio of 19.27, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.33. The company’s fifty day moving average is $123.21 and its 200 day moving average is $119.24. CRH has a 52 week low of $76.75 and a 52 week high of $131.55.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.20 by ($0.68). The business had revenue of $5.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.15 billion. CRH had a net margin of 10.02% and a return on equity of 15.98%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.02 earnings per share. CRH has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.600-6.050 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CRH will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This is an increase from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.26%.

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.