What's Driving CRH's Recent Momentum? Longbow Research Signals Bullish Outlook with Upgraded Coverage

Longbow Research has just thrown its support behind CRH, launching comprehensive coverage with a Buy rating that’s capturing investor attention. The move comes amid a compelling technical and fundamental setup that suggests meaningful upside potential ahead.

The Numbers Tell an Optimistic Story

Analysts tracking CRH are painting a bright picture. As of December 5, 2025, consensus forecasts place the one-year price target at $135.20 per share, representing a potential 6.57% gain from the current price of $126.87. While this might seem modest at first glance, the range of estimates—spanning from $93.05 to $157.50—reveals deep divergence in opinion, with bulls significantly more bullish than bears.

Looking at the company’s fundamentals, CRH’s projected annual revenue stands at $34.531 billion, though this represents a 6.42% contraction year-over-year. Non-GAAP earnings per share are forecasted at $3.70, providing a baseline for valuation multiples.

Institutional Money Is Watching Closely

The institutional ownership picture is particularly revealing. 1,609 funds and institutions maintain positions in CRH, with their collective portfolio allocation averaging 0.64%—up 3.59% from prior periods. While total institutional share ownership dipped slightly by 2.33% to reach 602.232 million shares, the stability in fund count suggests sustained conviction.

The put/call ratio of 0.34 reinforces the bullish narrative, indicating options market participants are betting on continued strength rather than downside protection.

How Major Holders Are Positioning

Several mega-cap index funds remain among CRH’s largest shareholders:

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSMX) commands 21.722 million shares (3.24% of company), having increased holdings by 1.64% last quarter despite trimming its relative portfolio weight by 5.34%.

Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund (VIMSX) holds 14.912 million shares (2.22% stake), marking a 2.43% share increase but a 2.41% reduction in portfolio concentration.

Franklin Resources manages 14.01 million shares (2.09% ownership), down 8.32% in share count but notably increased its portfolio allocation by 13.39%—a contrarian move suggesting selective accumulation.

DZ BANK AG has built a 12.404 million share position (1.85% ownership), representing a 23.83% share count increase, though portfolio weight compression of 61.26% suggests portfolio rebalancing rather than reduced conviction.

Massachusetts Financial Services maintains 12.361 million shares (1.84% ownership), representing a modest 3.58% share decrease but accompanied by an 81.58% portfolio allocation reduction.

What This Means for Investors

Longbow Research’s initiation with a Buy rating, combined with a positive options-market backdrop and institutional stability, suggests CRH deserves a closer look. The 6.57% upside to consensus targets, while not explosive, provides a reasonable risk/reward for investors seeking exposure to this name. The divergence in analyst targets also hints at potential catalysts that could drive the stock toward the higher end of the range, especially if operational improvements reverse the projected revenue decline.