Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for CRH (NYSE:CRH) Stock

CRH (NYSE:CRH) had its price objective upped by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $140.00 to $141.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the construction company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 19.65% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of CRH from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of CRH from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of CRH from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of CRH in a report on Monday, December 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $137.50.

CRH Trading Down 1.8%

NYSE:CRH traded down $2.14 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $117.84. The company had a trading volume of 1,303,730 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,808,764. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.36, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.33. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $124.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.20. CRH has a 12-month low of $76.75 and a 12-month high of $131.55.

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

Institutional Trading of CRH

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRH by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 794 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Waddell & Associates LLC grew its position in CRH by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 2,352 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $294,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC increased its stake in CRH by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 3,028 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc raised its position in CRH by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 4,000 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $499,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of CRH by 34.8% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 356 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Company Profile

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.