In this article, we will list the 5 Best Stocks to Buy for Global Infrastructure Spending. Please visit 10 Best Stocks to Buy for Global Infrastructure Spending if you’d like to see an extended list.
For this article, we screened infrastructure-related companies with exposure to global capital spending across construction equipment, power grids, building materials, engineering services, equipment rental, steel, and data center infrastructure. We then ranked the selected stocks in descending order of short interest as a percentage of float.
5. Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM)
Short Percentage of Float: 2.41%
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) is one of the best stocks to buy for global infrastructure spending. The company’s April 30 update gives the stock a direct materials-side link to infrastructure demand, especially through aggregates, which are used across construction and public works projects. Martin Marietta said first-quarter revenue rose 17% year-over-year to $1.36 billion, while aggregates shipments increased 12.4% to a first-quarter record 43.9 million tons. CEO Ward Nye said organic aggregates shipment growth of 7% exceeded expectations, helped by an early construction-season start in the Midwest and Colorado, as well as strong infrastructure and heavy nonresidential demand across the company’s footprint.
The company is also reshaping its portfolio around aggregates. On February 23, Martin Marietta completed an asset exchange with QUIKRETE, acquiring aggregates operations that produce about 20 million tons annually in Virginia, Missouri, Kansas, and Vancouver, British Columbia. On April 19, it also signed a definitive agreement to acquire New Frontier Materials, a St. Louis-area aggregates-led producer with more than 8 million tons of annual aggregates output. That makes the story less about one quarter and more about expanding supply in construction-materials markets tied to infrastructure and heavy nonresidential demand.
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) is an American-based supplier of aggregates and other building materials, with operations across 28 states, Canada, and The Bahamas. The company also operates a Specialties business that provides high-purity magnesia and dolomitic lime products for environmental, industrial, agricultural, and specialty applications.
4. Eaton Corporation plc (NYSE:ETN)
Short Percentage of Float: 2.06%
Eaton Corporation plc (NYSE:ETN) is one of the best stocks to buy for global infrastructure spending. The company’s latest update tied its growth directly to electrical infrastructure demand, especially in data centers and power management. On May 5, Eaton said first-quarter sales rose 17% year-over-year to a record $7.5 billion, while organic sales increased 10%. The strongest infrastructure signal came from its Electrical businesses: Eaton said the twelve-month rolling average of orders in Electrical Americas rose 42% organically, driven by data center momentum, while total Electrical Americas backlog at the end of March was up 44% from March 2025. Electrical Global backlog was also up 73% year-over-year.
The update supports Eaton’s role in the global buildout of power systems, data centers, utilities, and industrial infrastructure. The company also closed its acquisition of Boyd Thermal during the quarter, adding liquid-cooling components and systems for data centers, aerospace, and other end markets. That strengthens Eaton’s grid-to-chip positioning as AI and high-performance computing projects require tighter integration of power distribution, backup systems, and cooling infrastructure.
Eaton Corporation plc (NYSE:ETN) says it makes products for the data center, utility, industrial, commercial, and institutional, machine building, residential, aerospace, and mobility markets, serving customers in 180 countries.
3. CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)
Short Percentage of Float: 2.03%
CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) is one of the best stocks to buy for global infrastructure spending. The company’s latest concrete infrastructure angle comes from water, not just roads and aggregates. On April 30, CRH said it had entered into an agreement to acquire Axius Water, a North American provider of specialized water quality solutions, for $0.7 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, and CRH said it will strengthen its position as a leading water infrastructure player in the United States.
The acquisition fits CRH’s broader push into connected infrastructure markets. In the same update, the company said it was investing $0.9 billion across nine value-accretive acquisitions, including Axius Water, while also agreeing to divest three non-core businesses for a combined consideration of about $1.9 billion. That makes the story more about portfolio reshaping toward infrastructure-linked markets than about one quarter’s earnings.
CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) says it provides building materials across aggregates, cementitious, roads, and water, helping deliver transportation, water, and reindustrialization projects worldwide.
2. Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE)
Short Percentage of Float: 2.02%
Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) is one of the best stocks to buy for global infrastructure spending. The stock’s infrastructure case received a fresh company-specific catalyst on May 1, when Nucor announced that Nucor Steel Lexington was officially open. The North Carolina rebar micro mill has the capacity to produce 430,000 tons of rebar annually, and the company said the facility will help supply roads, bridges, and infrastructure using recycled steel sourced in North Carolina.
The opening gives Nucor a direct materials-side link to infrastructure demand, since rebar is used to reinforce concrete in roads, bridges, buildings, and other structures. The project was originally announced in April 2022 as a roughly $350 million investment serving the South Atlantic/I-85 corridor from Maryland to Georgia, with Nucor saying at the time that federal infrastructure spending was expected to increase regional rebar demand. That makes the new mill more than a capacity addition; it strengthens Nucor’s ability to supply infrastructure-heavy construction markets from a localized production base.
Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) is North America’s largest and most diversified steel and steel products producer and the largest recycler of any material in North America. The company’s steel and fabricated steel portfolio includes products such as beam, plate, rebar, sheet, joists, decking, piling, solar products, transmission poles, and warehouse racking.
1. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)
Short Percentage of Float: 1.78%
Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) is one of the best stocks to buy for global infrastructure spending. The company’s latest infrastructure-related catalyst came on April 29, when ProPetro Holding Corp.’s PROPWR unit entered into a strategic framework agreement with Caterpillar to purchase up to 2.1 gigawatts of incremental power-generation assets by 2031. PROPWR agreed to buy at least 1.5 GW of added capacity, with the option to bring the total to about 2.1 GW over five years. Combined with roughly 550 megawatts previously ordered, PROPWR is positioned to deliver about 2.6 GW of power generation capacity by year-end 2031 and to be fully deployed in 2032.
The agreement supports Caterpillar’s role in infrastructure beyond heavy machinery, especially as data centers, oil and gas operations, and industrial customers require reliable on-site power. Caterpillar said the deal reflects demand from data centers and other energy-intensive applications, with the company supporting PROPWR through power generation technologies and global execution scale.
Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives.
While we acknowledge the potential of CAT to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some other AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than CAT and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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