CRH plc (CRH), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, offers construction materials solutions. Valued at $85.2 billion by market capitalization, the company manufactures and distributes a broad range of architectural, infrastructure and construction products for residential and commercial projects.
Shares of this cement giant have outperformed the broader market over the past year. CRH has gained 20.9% during this period, while the broader S&P 500 index ($SPX) is up almost 14%. In 2026, CRH stock rose 1.9%, outpacing the SPX’s 1.3% gain on a year-over-year basis.
To narrow the focus, CRH’s underperformance is evident when compared to the Invesco Building & Construction ETF (PKB). The exchange-traded fund has gained about 36.2% over the past year. Additionally, the ETF’s 15.4% year-over-year gains dwarf the stock’s low single-digit returns over the same time period.
On November 5, 2025, CRH stock closed down more than 1% after reporting its third-quarter results. Its EPS of $2.21 beat Wall Street expectations of $2.15. The company’s revenue was $11.1 billion, missing Wall Street forecasts of $11.3 billion. CRH expects full-year EPS to be between $5.49 and $5.72.
For the current fiscal year, which ended December 2025, analysts expect CRH’s EPS to grow 3.2% to $5.56 on a diluted basis. The company’s history of earnings surprises is mixed. It beat the consensus estimate in two of the last four quarters and missed the forecast on two other occasions.
Among the 23 analysts covering CRH stock, the consensus is a “strong buy.” This is based on 19 “Strong Buy” ratings, one “Moderate Buy” and three “Holds.”
This setup is more bullish than two months ago, with 18 analysts suggesting a “strong buy.”
On January 29, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) maintained an “Equal Weight” rating on CRH and lowered the price target to $133, implying a potential upside of 4.6% from current levels.
The average price target of $141.38 represents a premium of 11.2% to CRH’s current price levels. The Street’s high price target of $164 suggests an ambitious 29% upside potential.
On the date of publication, Neha Panjwani had no (directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article are for informational purposes only. This article was originally published on Barchart.com