AU vs. CRH: A Head-to-Head Stock Comparison

Updated on July 7, 2025

Here’s a clear look at AU and CRH, comparing key factors like historical performance, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividend, and valuation.

Company Overview

CRH’s market capitalization of 64.18 billion USD is significantly greater than AU’s 23.52 billion USD, highlighting its more substantial market valuation.

CRH carries a higher beta at 1.22, indicating it’s more sensitive to market moves, while AU (beta: 0.49) exhibits greater stability.

Symbol	AU	CRH
Company Name	AngloGold Ashanti Plc	CRH plc
Country	GB	IE
Sector	Basic Materials	Basic Materials
Industry	Gold	Construction Materials
CEO	Alberto Calderon Zuleta BA Econ, Econ, Law, M Phil Econ,	Jim Mintern
Price	46.71 USD	94.94 USD
Market Cap	23.52 billion USD	64.18 billion USD
Beta	0.49	1.22
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
IPO Date	August 5, 1998	July 13, 1989
ADR	No	No

Historical Performance

This chart compares the performance of AU and CRH by tracking the growth of an initial $10,000 investment in each. Use the tabs to select the desired time period.

Data is adjusted for dividends and splits.

AU vs. CRH: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past one year.

Profitability

Return on Equity

AU

25.86%

Gold Industry

Max: 25.86%
Q3: 12.48%
Median: 8.15%
Q1: 2.34%
Min: -3.82%

In the upper quartile for the Gold industry, AU’s Return on Equity of 25.86% signals a highly effective use of shareholder capital to drive profitability compared to most of its peers.

CRH

15.42%

Construction Materials Industry

Max: 32.32%
Q3: 20.74%
Median: 15.42%
Q1: 12.55%
Min: 11.55%

CRH’s Return on Equity of 15.42% is on par with the norm for the Construction Materials industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their ROE against their respective Gold and Construction Materials industry benchmarks.

Return on Invested Capital

AU

12.23%

Gold Industry

Max: 20.84%
Q3: 9.90%
Median: 5.11%
Q1: 1.36%
Min: -10.62%

In the upper quartile for the Gold industry, AU’s Return on Invested Capital of 12.23% signifies a highly effective use of its capital to generate profits when compared to its peers.

CRH

8.38%

Construction Materials Industry

Max: 15.45%
Q3: 12.02%
Median: 9.68%
Q1: 7.11%
Min: 7.02%

CRH’s Return on Invested Capital of 8.38% is in line with the norm for the Construction Materials industry, reflecting a standard level of efficiency in generating profits from its capital base.

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their ROIC against their respective Gold and Construction Materials industry benchmarks.

Net Profit Margin

AU

17.91%

Gold Industry

Max: 26.48%
Q3: 21.01%
Median: 16.48%
Q1: 8.22%
Min: -6.63%

AU’s Net Profit Margin of 17.91% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Gold industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.

CRH

9.19%

Construction Materials Industry

Max: 20.50%
Q3: 16.08%
Median: 10.94%
Q1: 9.16%
Min: 4.73%

CRH’s Net Profit Margin of 9.19% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Construction Materials industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their Net Profit Margin against their respective Gold and Construction Materials industry benchmarks.

Operating Profit Margin

AU

29.67%

Gold Industry

Max: 67.43%
Q3: 40.39%
Median: 30.64%
Q1: 19.83%
Min: -9.84%

AU’s Operating Profit Margin of 29.67% is around the midpoint for the Gold industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.

CRH

13.73%

Construction Materials Industry

Max: 26.51%
Q3: 22.33%
Median: 18.96%
Q1: 12.92%
Min: 6.22%

CRH’s Operating Profit Margin of 13.73% is around the midpoint for the Construction Materials industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their Operating Margin against their respective Gold and Construction Materials industry benchmarks.

Profitability at a Glance

Symbol	AU	CRH
Return on Equity (TTM)	25.86%	15.42%
Return on Assets (TTM)	10.37%	6.33%
Return on Invested Capital (TTM)	12.23%	8.38%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	17.91%	9.19%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	29.67%	13.73%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	35.78%	35.57%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio

AU

2.34

Gold Industry

Max: 4.98
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.34
Q1: 1.51
Min: 0.52

AU’s Current Ratio of 2.34 aligns with the median group of the Gold industry, indicating that its short-term liquidity is in line with its sector peers.

CRH

1.63

Construction Materials Industry

Max: 2.94
Q3: 2.73
Median: 2.25
Q1: 1.63
Min: 0.87

CRH’s Current Ratio of 1.63 aligns with the median group of the Construction Materials industry, indicating that its short-term liquidity is in line with its sector peers.

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their Current Ratio against their respective Gold and Construction Materials industry benchmarks.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio

AU

0.33

Gold Industry

Max: 0.67
Q3: 0.34
Median: 0.17
Q1: 0.06
Min: 0.00

AU’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.33 is typical for the Gold industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.

CRH

0.80

Construction Materials Industry

Max: 0.88
Q3: 0.71
Median: 0.53
Q1: 0.21
Min: 0.01

CRH’s leverage is in the upper quartile of the Construction Materials industry, with a Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.80. While this approach can boost equity growth, it also exposes the company to greater financial vulnerability.

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their D/E Ratio against their respective Gold and Construction Materials industry benchmarks.

Interest Coverage Ratio

AU

14.20

Gold Industry

Max: 45.23
Q3: 25.79
Median: 13.44
Q1: 2.91
Min: -6.26

AU’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 14.20 is positioned comfortably within the norm for the Gold industry, indicating a standard and healthy capacity to cover its interest payments.

CRH

7.45

Construction Materials Industry

Max: 32.44
Q3: 18.11
Median: 7.75
Q1: 5.31
Min: 3.30

CRH’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 7.45 is positioned comfortably within the norm for the Construction Materials industry, indicating a standard and healthy capacity to cover its interest payments.

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their Interest Coverage against their respective Gold and Construction Materials industry benchmarks.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Symbol	AU	CRH
Current Ratio (TTM)	2.34	1.63
Quick Ratio (TTM)	1.57	1.07
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (TTM)	0.33	0.80
Debt-to-Asset Ratio (TTM)	0.17	0.33
Net Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio (TTM)	0.25	2.09
Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)	14.20	7.45

Growth

The following charts compare key year-over-year (YoY) growth metrics for AU and CRH. These metrics are based on the companies’ annual financial reports.

Revenue Growth

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Revenue Growth.

Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth.

Free Cash Flow Growth

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Free Cash Flow Growth.

Dividend

Dividend Yield

AU

0.27%

Gold Industry

Max: 3.65%
Q3: 1.37%
Median: 0.47%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AU’s Dividend Yield of 0.27% is consistent with its peers in the Gold industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.

CRH

1.51%

Construction Materials Industry

Max: 8.35%
Q3: 1.57%
Median: 0.61%
Q1: 0.22%
Min: 0.00%

CRH’s Dividend Yield of 1.51% is consistent with its peers in the Construction Materials industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their Dividend Yield against their respective Gold and Construction Materials industry benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio

AU

45.43%

Gold Industry

Max: 110.70%
Q3: 42.09%
Median: 15.45%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AU’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 45.43% is in the upper quartile for the Gold industry. This indicates a strong commitment to shareholder returns but also suggests that a smaller portion of earnings is retained for reinvestment compared to many peers.

CRH

29.07%

Construction Materials Industry

Max: 86.74%
Q3: 26.48%
Median: 13.85%
Q1: 4.99%
Min: 0.00%

CRH’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 29.07% is in the upper quartile for the Construction Materials industry. This indicates a strong commitment to shareholder returns but also suggests that a smaller portion of earnings is retained for reinvestment compared to many peers.

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their Payout Ratio against their respective Gold and Construction Materials industry benchmarks.

Dividend at a Glance

Symbol	AU	CRH
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.27%	1.51%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	45.43%	29.07%

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio

AU

16.93

Gold Industry

Max: 64.00
Q3: 46.06
Median: 29.03
Q1: 16.74
Min: 1.00

AU’s P/E Ratio of 16.93 is within the middle range for the Gold industry. This suggests its valuation is in line with the sector average, representing neither a significant premium nor a discount compared to its peers.

CRH

19.53

Construction Materials Industry

Max: 37.00
Q3: 25.95
Median: 18.83
Q1: 14.75
Min: 6.99

CRH’s P/E Ratio of 19.53 is within the middle range for the Construction Materials industry. This suggests its valuation is in line with the sector average, representing neither a significant premium nor a discount compared to its peers.

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their P/E Ratio against their respective Gold and Construction Materials industry benchmarks.

Forward P/E to Growth Ratio

AU

-0.86

Gold Industry

Max: 14.01
Q3: 6.52
Median: 3.33
Q1: 0.82
Min: 0.05

The Forward PEG Ratio is often not a primary valuation metric in the Gold industry.

CRH

1.81

Construction Materials Industry

Max: 2.56
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.91
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.48

The Forward PEG Ratio is often not a primary valuation metric in the Construction Materials industry.

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their Forward PEG Ratio against their respective Gold and Construction Materials industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Sales Ratio

AU

3.03

Gold Industry

Max: 15.12
Q3: 7.63
Median: 3.25
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.79

AU’s P/S Ratio of 3.03 aligns with the market consensus for the Gold industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.

CRH

1.79

Construction Materials Industry

Max: 5.00
Q3: 3.98
Median: 2.34
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.50

CRH’s P/S Ratio of 1.79 aligns with the market consensus for the Construction Materials industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their P/S Ratio against their respective Gold and Construction Materials industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Book Ratio

AU

3.47

Gold Industry

Max: 6.10
Q3: 3.60
Median: 2.02
Q1: 1.35
Min: 0.26

AU’s P/B Ratio of 3.47 is within the conventional range for the Gold industry. This shows a balanced market view, where the stock’s price is neither at a significant premium nor a discount to the book value of its peers.

CRH

3.04

Construction Materials Industry

Max: 5.60
Q3: 4.69
Median: 3.33
Q1: 1.80
Min: 0.76

CRH’s P/B Ratio of 3.04 is within the conventional range for the Construction Materials industry. This shows a balanced market view, where the stock’s price is neither at a significant premium nor a discount to the book value of its peers.

AU vs. CRH: A comparison of their P/B Ratio against their respective Gold and Construction Materials industry benchmarks.

Valuation at a Glance

Symbol	AU	CRH
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E, TTM)	16.93	19.53
Forward PEG Ratio (TTM)	-0.86	1.81
Price-to-Sales Ratio (P/S, TTM)	3.03	1.79
Price-to-Book Ratio (P/B, TTM)	3.47	3.04
Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (P/FCF, TTM)	18.13	27.60
EV-to-EBITDA (TTM)	7.94	11.93
EV-to-Sales (TTM)	3.13	2.17