Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of CRH Put Options (NYSE:CRH)

Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 8,104 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 60% compared to the average daily volume of 5,055 put options.

CRH Stock Down 4.4%

CRH opened at $121.81 on Thursday. CRH has a 52-week low of $76.75 and a 52-week high of $131.55. The company has a 50 day moving average of $121.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.30. The company has a market cap of $81.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.34.

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

CRH Dividend Announcement

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRH

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of CRH by 158.5% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,670 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $763,000 after purchasing an additional 5,316 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in CRH by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,178 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,159,000 after purchasing an additional 658 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in CRH by 111.1% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,125 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 592 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in CRH by 27.7% in the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,223 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $459,000 after buying an additional 1,134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in CRH by 20.3% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 8,206 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $753,000 after buying an additional 1,387 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial lifted their price target on CRH from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of CRH from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $138.00 price target (up previously from $133.00) on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of CRH from $110.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on CRH from $110.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. 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.