CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Short Interest Up 10.1% in July

CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) saw a significant increase in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 12,620,000 shares, an increase of 10.1% from the July 15th total of 11,460,000 shares. Currently, 1.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 7,860,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of CRH by 336.4% during the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 336 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in CRH during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Orion Capital Management LLC increased its stake in CRH by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. increased its stake in CRH by 71.5% during the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 415 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in CRH in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. 62.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRH Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:CRH traded up $1.06 on Monday, hitting $85.24. The company had a trading volume of 1,229,076 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,287,432. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $78.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.92. The stock has a market cap of $58.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.30. CRH has a 1-year low of $51.59 and a 1-year high of $88.00.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The construction company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85. The company had revenue of $9.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.16 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CRH will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, August 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 23rd. This represents a yield of 1.7%. CRH’s payout ratio is currently 29.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CRH shares. Citigroup reduced their price target on CRH from $109.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of CRH in a research report on Tuesday, May 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley upgraded CRH from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $87.00 to $88.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. StockNews.com downgraded CRH from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.70.

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.