CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Short Interest Update

CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,210,000 shares, a growth of 26.4% from the November 30th total of 9,660,000 shares. Currently, 1.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 3,670,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days.

CRH Stock Performance

Shares of CRH traded down $1.07 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $93.58. The company had a trading volume of 1,335,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,726,681. CRH has a 1 year low of $65.74 and a 1 year high of $104.23. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $97.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.29.

CRH Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Variable dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a $0.262 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. CRH’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRH

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CRH by 336.4% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 336 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators acquired a new position in shares of CRH in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in CRH by 72.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 297 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in CRH during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its position in CRH by 70.7% during the 3rd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 391 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. HSBC began coverage on CRH in a research report on Monday, November 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $116.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of CRH to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of CRH from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of CRH from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.42.

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.