Brokerages Set CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) PT at $109.25

Shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) have earned an average rating of “Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating 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.

CRH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup dropped their price objective on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com upgraded CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRH

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CRH. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its position in CRH by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 2,335 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its position in CRH by 20.4% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 755 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in CRH by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,810 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $630,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in CRH by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,367 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in CRH by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 971 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Trading Down 2.9 %

CRH opened at $94.79 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $99.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.30. CRH has a 12-month low of $71.18 and a 12-month high of $110.97. The firm has a market cap of $64.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. 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 (DPR) is currently 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.