Here's Why CRH (CRH) Gained But Lagged the Market Today

CRH (CRH) closed at $97.33 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.32% move from the prior day. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 0.64% for the day. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 0.85%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 0.31%.The building material company's shares have seen a decrease of 10.42% over the last month, not keeping up with the Construction sector's loss of 7.66% and the S&P 500's loss of 7.69%.The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of CRH in its forthcoming earnings report. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at -$0.06, signifying a 200% drop compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $7.05 billion, indicating a 7.9% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $5.82 per share and revenue of $38.09 billion, which would represent changes of +7.98% and +7.09%, respectively, from the prior year.Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for CRH. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the company's business and profitability.Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 3.76% lower within the past month. CRH is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).With respect to valuation, CRH is currently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 16.68. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 16.32, which means CRH is trading at a premium to the group.One should further note that CRH currently holds a PEG ratio of 1.21. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. The Building Products - Miscellaneous industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.76 as trading concluded yesterday.The Building Products - Miscellaneous industry is part of the Construction sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 155, putting it in the bottom 39% of all 250+ industries.The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report CRH PLC (CRH): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks