CRH PLC Stock (NYSE: CRH) News and Forecast: Shares Hold Near Record Highs as Year-End “Santa Rally” Meets Buyback Support

NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2025, 4:09 p.m. ET — Market closed

CRH plc (NYSE: CRH) is heading into the final trading week of 2025 with its stock pinned near record territory, extending a late-year run that has put the building materials giant squarely on investors’ momentum screens. With U.S. markets closed Saturday, attention now shifts to what could move CRH shares when trading resumes Monday, including thin year-end liquidity, a still-active share repurchase program, and ongoing digestion of CRH’s recent S&P 500 inclusion.

CRH shares last traded at $128.94, up about 1.1% from the prior close, after moving between roughly $127.14 and $130.00 during Friday’s session. In extended trading late Friday, CRH was indicated around $129.38. ^[1]

Market backdrop: quiet, post-holiday tape near all-time highs

CRH’s push toward fresh highs came as the broader market paused after a strong stretch. On Friday, U.S. stocks finished slightly lower in light, post-Christmas trading, with the S&P 500 down 0.03%, the Dow off 0.04%, and the Nasdaq down 0.09%, according to Reuters. ^[2] The Associated Press similarly emphasized subdued holiday volume and noted the S&P 500 is up about 17.8% year-to-date heading into the final three trading days of 2025. ^[3]

For CRH investors, one detail in Friday’s tape stands out: the materials sector led the S&P 500 on the day, a supportive backdrop for a large-cap construction and infrastructure-linked name. ^[4]

What’s new in the last 24–48 hours: CRH prints fresh highs

The most immediate CRH-specific storyline over the past two days has been simple: new highs.

MarketBeat reported CRH reached a new 52-week high on Friday, citing prints around the $129 area. ^[5]
Investing.com highlighted CRH hitting an all-time high near $128.98, while also summarizing the latest sell-side framing around valuation and price targets. ^[6]
Barron’s flagged CRH among S&P 500 names tapping 52-week highs, reflecting broader index-level strength and year-end risk-on behavior. ^[7]

The bigger catalysts still in play: S&P 500 entry, acquisitions, and buybacks

While the past 48 hours have been dominated by price action, CRH’s late-2025 narrative has deeper drivers that remain relevant heading into Monday’s open.

1) S&P 500 inclusion continues to shape flows

CRH officially joined the S&P 500 effective prior to the open on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, following its move to a primary NYSE listing in 2023, according to the company. ^[8] CRH CEO Jim Mintern framed the addition as recognition of CRH’s market position, calling CRH “the largest provider of building materials in North America” in the announcement. ^[9]

S&P Dow Jones Indices also announced CRH’s addition as part of the December index changes. ^[10]

Why that matters for the stock: when a company enters the S&P 500, index-tracking funds and benchmarked managers often need to adjust holdings—flows that can tighten supply and support demand around the inclusion window.

2) A bolt-on deal expands aggregates exposure in the NYC metro

CRH recently announced the acquisition of North American Aggregates (NAA), a supplier headquartered in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, expanding CRH’s aggregates footprint in New York and New Jersey, according to Business Wire. ^[11]

Jason Jackson, President of CRH Americas Materials, said the deal strengthens CRH’s regional supply position and noted that “95% of CRH’s revenues in North America [are] connected to aggregates,” underscoring how central aggregates are to CRH’s growth engine. ^[12]

3) Active share repurchases add a technical bid

CRH has also been leaning on buybacks. In a Nov. 5 update, the company said it completed the latest phase of its share repurchase program—returning $0.3 billion—and disclosed a new arrangement authorizing up to another $0.3 billion in repurchases. The buyback commenced Nov. 6, 2025 and is set to run no later than Feb. 17, 2026, according to CRH. ^[13]

That matters heading into Monday because buybacks can provide incremental demand, particularly in thin year-end trading when marginal flows may have an outsized impact on price.

Fundamentals check: what CRH last reported

In its most recent quarterly update (third-quarter 2025 results released Nov. 5), CRH reported:

Revenue:$11.1 billion (up 5% year-over-year)
Net income:$1.5 billion (up 9% year-over-year)
Adjusted EBITDA:$2.7 billion (up 10% year-over-year)
Diluted EPS:$2.21 (up 12% year-over-year) ^[14]

CRH also said it was raising the midpoint of its FY25 adjusted EBITDA guidance while reaffirming FY25 net income guidance, and highlighted ongoing acquisitions and shareholder returns. ^[15]

On capital returns, CRH stated it had returned about $1.8 billion to shareholders year-to-date through dividends and buybacks (as of that Q3 release). ^[16]

Dividend: what income-focused investors should remember

CRH declared a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per ordinary share, paid Dec. 17, 2025, representing a 6% increase from the prior year, according to the company. ^[17]

With that payment now behind the market, the next near-term “income” catalyst is simply whether CRH maintains its dividend growth cadence into 2026.

CRH stock forecast: what analysts are saying now

Analyst views on CRH skew constructive, but price targets vary.

MarketBeat summarized a “Moderate Buy” consensus and cited an average target price around $132.60. ^[18]
Investing.com noted analyst targets ranging roughly from $96 to $165, and pointed to Jefferies maintaining a Buy rating with a $140 target and DA Davidson lifting its target to $116 while keeping a Neutral stance. ^[19]
MarketBeat also reported Longbow Research initiating coverage with a Buy rating and a $160 price target (mid-December). ^[20]
A Nasdaq-hosted piece referencing Fintel data pegged the average one-year price target at $135.20 (as of Dec. 5, 2025), with forecasts spanning $93.05 to $157.50. ^[21]

The takeaway: consensus targets generally imply modest upside from current levels, but CRH’s sharp year-end rally means investors are increasingly debating valuation versus momentum—especially with the stock printing fresh highs.

What investors should watch before Monday’s session

Because U.S. markets are closed today, the next catalyst window begins with Monday’s open (Dec. 29). Here are the practical “watch items” likely to matter for CRH’s first trades of the week:

1) Year-end liquidity and the “Santa Claus rally” effect

Reuters quoted Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group, describing Friday as a breather after a strong rally and noting the “Santa Claus rally” period still had time left to run. ^[22]

Low liquidity cuts both ways: it can amplify breakouts, but it can also exaggerate pullbacks if investors take profits into year-end.

2) Fed expectations and rate-sensitive positioning

In its “Week Ahead” outlook, Reuters reported investors are focused on the outlook for further rate cuts, highlighting that Fed minutes (from the Dec. 9–10 meeting) are due in the holiday-shortened week ahead. ^[23]

Reuters also quoted:

Paul Nolte (Murphy & Sylvest Wealth Management) saying momentum remained with the bulls absent an “exogenous event.” ^[24]
Michael Reynolds (Glenmede) pointing to the Fed minutes as potentially “illuminating” on the rate-cut debate. ^[25]
Anthony Saglimbene (Ameriprise Financial) noting market rotation and improving confidence in the economic narrative. ^[26]

Why CRH investors should care: as a major materials/infrastructure name, CRH sentiment can swing with shifts in the macro outlook for construction, industrial activity, and financing conditions—even if CRH itself is less directly tied to residential housing than many building-product peers.

3) CRH-specific “tape tells”: buybacks and new-high behavior

With CRH already at/near record highs, the early-week question is whether buyers defend the breakout zone or whether momentum traders reduce exposure into the new year. The company’s ongoing buyback authorization could become more noticeable in thin volume. ^[27]

4) Next earnings date on the horizon

CRH’s next quarterly earnings report is currently expected around Feb. 25, 2026, according to Zacks’ earnings calendar. ^[28]

That’s not an immediate Monday catalyst, but it matters for positioning: as the calendar turns, investors often begin “pre-positioning” for early-year earnings season, especially in stocks that have already re-rated higher.

Bottom line for CRH stock heading into the next open

CRH enters Monday’s session with clear bullish momentum: the stock is near record highs, it has recently joined the S&P 500, and it has an active repurchase program running into mid-February. ^[29]

The near-term risk is less about company-specific headlines and more about the market’s year-end microstructure—thin volume, profit-taking, and macro crosscurrents around Fed expectations. In that environment, CRH’s first few hours of trading Monday may tell investors whether the stock’s breakout has real staying power—or whether the market is simply pausing after a powerful December run. ^[30]