CRH Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:CRH)

CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) was the target of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Traders acquired 22,193 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 539% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,474 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on CRH. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “hold” rating and issued a $82.00 target price (up from $80.00) on shares of CRH in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Stephens began coverage on CRH in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their target price on CRH from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered CRH from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CRH currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $93.11.

CRH Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE CRH opened at $72.05 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $78.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.28. CRH has a twelve month low of $51.59 and a twelve month high of $88.00.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 10th. The construction company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.60 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CRH will post 5.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a Variable dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th were paid a $0.35 dividend. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous Variable dividend of $0.23. This represents a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.89%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRH

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 914 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,748 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 71.5% in the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 415 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 783 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of CRH by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 975 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CRH Company Profile

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.