Markets

Stock Take: Kingspan’s sharpening US strategy raises questions about Irish future

The building materials giant clearly sees the scale of the American opportunity. Could it be next in line to exit Ireland’s stock market?

Gene Murtagh, Kingspan chief executive, said the company expected a handsome return on its €750 million investment. Picture: Naoise Culhane

Kingspan is not a company that welcomes media attention, likely still scarred by the scores of negative headlines during the Grenfell Tower inquiry.

But on its full-year earnings call on Friday morning – which did not allow any questions from journalists – the building materials giant had, broadly, only good news to impart.

In a straitened trading environment, Kingspan ended 2023 with record trading profit of €877 million, which matched almost exactly both its own ...