By Geoff PercivalCRH has immediate room to spend in the region of €650m-€700m per year on acquisitions, and the company envisages no change to its acquisition-led growth strategy for decades to come. Its capacity for more deals remains strong, with net debt only 1.8 times earnings as of the end of December. CRH's share price rose by around 1% on the back of the strong set of annual results and a positive outlook for this year. "With a balanced portfolio of businesses CRH is well-positioned to capitalise on ongoing economic recovery and our focus remains on consolidating and building upon the gains made in 2017. Aside from its annual results, CRH also yesterday announced the appointment of former Bank of Ireland chief executive Richie Boucher to its board as a non-executive director.

Source: Irish Examiner March 01, 2018 16:52 UTC