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CRH
FY2026 Q2
Improving
CRH plc earnings call
Buzzberg read
Reaffirmed 2026 EBITDA guidance of $8.1-8.5 billion
CRH reported a record Q2 2026, with revenue up 6% and adjusted EBITDA up 7%, driven by pricing and acquisitions despite weather-related volume disruptions. Management reaffirmed its full-year guidance, highlighting strong public infrastructure and reindustrialization demand, and announced a significant $8.5B acquisition of Arcosa to boost aggregates leadership. The company also emphasized its connected portfolio's competitive advantage in data center projects. Record Q2: Revenue $10.8B (+6%), Adjusted EBITDA $2.6B (+7%), diluted EPS $0.14 (+14%).
Buzzberg read Reaffirmed 2026 EBITDA guidance of $8.1-8.5 billion CRH reported a record Q2 2026, with revenue up 6% and adjusted EBITDA up 7%, driven by pricing and acquisitions despite weather-related volume disruptions. Management reaffirmed its full-year guidance, highlighting strong public infrastructure and reindustrialization demand, and announced a significant $8.5B acquisition of Arcosa to boost aggregates leadership. The company also emphasized its connected portfolio's competitive advantage in data center projects. Record Q2: Revenue $10.8B (+6%), Adjusted EBITDA $2.6B (+7%), diluted EPS $0.14 (+14%). Read full analysisCollapse analysis
CRH reported a record Q2 2026, with revenue up 6% and adjusted EBITDA up 7%, driven by pricing and acquisitions despite weather-related volume disruptions. Management reaffirmed its full-year guidance, highlighting strong public infrastructure and reindustrialization demand, and announced a significant $8.5B acquisition of Arcosa to boost aggregates leadership. The company also emphasized its connected portfolio's competitive advantage in data center projects. Record Q2: Revenue $10.8B (+6%), Adjusted EBITDA $2.6B (+7%), diluted EPS $0.14 (+14%).
- Reaffirmed full-year 2026 guidance: Adjusted EBITDA $8.1-8.5B, EPS $5.60-$6.05.
- Announced agreement to acquire Arcosa for $8.5B, expanding aggregates footprint in Texas and Phoenix and adding engineered structures for energy transmission.
- Active on 200 data center projects; 85% of announced US data centers are within 25 miles of CRH facilities, underpinning multi-year demand.
Revenue$10.777B+46% QoQ
EPS$2.21Reported
Gross margin39.84%Reported
Operating margin19.29%Reported
6 grounded callouts
What matters now
The highest-signal changes from the call.
M&A
Acquiring Arcosa for $8.5B to strengthen US aggregates
M&A
Expect $175M run-rate cost synergies from Arcosa by year three
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Demand
Data center activity notably step up in 2026, active on 200 sites
Pricing
Seeing good mid-single-digit pricing in US aggregates
Demand
Backlog and bidding activity positive, supporting second-half outlook
Reported period
Actuals
| Metric | Reported | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $10.777B | +46% QoQ |
| EPS | $2.21 | Reported |
| Gross margin | 39.84% | Reported |
| Operating margin | 19.29% | Reported |
| Free cash flow | $0.49B | Reported |
| Capex | $0.639B | Reported |
Forward-looking
Forward guidance
| Metric | Period | Range | Midpoint | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free cash flow | FY2030 | 100% | 100% | Guided |
| Operating margin | FY2026 | 8.1%–8.5% | 8.3% | Maintained |
| RevenueAMERICAS_MATERIALS_SOLUT | FY2026 | 5% | 5% | Guided |
AI, capex & demand read
Management read
Confident
Management reaffirmed full-year guidance despite macro uncertainty and highlighted record Q2 results, strong pricing, backlog momentum, and a large strategic acquisition, projecting continued margin expansion and growth.
Investment and capacity
Management reaffirmed growth capex of approximately $800 million invested in the first half, focused on expanding capacity in high-growth markets, improving operational efficiency, increasing automation and optimizing energy usage to drive long-term shareholder value.
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Investees
Jim Mintern
CRH is acquiring Arcosa for $8.5bn, adding 35M tons of aggregates and expanding into the Dallas and Phoenix markets plus engineered structures for energy transmission. Management sees this as a high-growth, value-accretive move.
Evidence
“we recently announced an agreement to acquire Arcosa, a leading provider of building materials and critical infrastructure products in the United States.”
External signals
Supply-chain alpha · 3
CRH is active on 200 data center projects, and 85% of announced US data centers are within 25 miles of a CRH facility, with a single project in East Texas requiring 3 million tons of aggregates.
Evidence
“We're active on right now on 200 data centers across the U.S... we're within 25 miles of 85 percent of all the data centers that have been announced in the U.S.”
CRH expects another year of margin progression in its asphalt business, leveraging its ability to store half of its annual liquid asphalt consumption to mitigate cost inflation.
Evidence
“the opportunity for us to house in our tank storage half of our yearly consumption... we manage that business on a margin basis so when we look for the full year... we expect another year of margin progression”
The decision to pause the share buyback program in connection with the Arcosa acquisition signals management's prioritization of M&A over buybacks, but the $40B capital allocation plan remains unchanged.
Evidence
“in connection with our agreement to acquire Arcosa, we have taken the decision to pause our share buyback program following the completion of the latest tranche and will re-evaluate the program at a later date.”
Methodology & coverage
Management-only analysis. All 1 validated company mentions are shown. Reported actuals and forward guidance are kept separate. Public evidence is limited to eight short attributed quotes. AI-generated analysis can be incomplete or wrong; verify important claims against the original source.