3 UK Infrastructure Stocks Worth Watching If Public Investment Picks Up
With Westminster debating looser fiscal rules, a broader National Wealth Fund remit and a more cautious OBR outlook, the ground under UK infrastructure and industrial stocks is shifting in real time. These policy choices could reshape where capital flows next, which matters if you care about being early rather than late. This article walks through three UK Infrastructure and Industrial Stocks screener picks that appear well placed for these potential changes.
The three stocks below are just a starting sample, with the full screen surfacing 28 more UK infrastructure and industrial companies that carry similarly compelling narratives that are not covered in this article. To identify and analyze the highest conviction ideas, go straight to the UK Infrastructure and Industrial Stocks screener.
Trifast (LSE:TRI)
Overview: Trifast is a global supplier of industrial fasteners and related components, providing screws, bolts, seals and specialist hardware alongside manufacturing, logistics and technical support services. Its products sit inside everything from cars and medical equipment to smart infrastructure projects across energy, technology and utilities.
Operations: Trifast generates about £208 million of revenue from industrial fasteners and category C components, with sales spread across Asia (£46 million), Europe (£76 million), the UK and Ireland (£64 million) and North America (£34 million).
Market Cap: £112 million
Trifast gives you exposure to the behind the scenes hardware that keeps smart infrastructure, utilities and industrial systems running, at a time when policymakers are talking about higher UK investment in exactly these areas. The company is still loss making, with a small net loss of £1 million in 2025/26 and a dividend that is not fully supported by earnings, so you need to be comfortable with execution risk on its turnaround and efficiency plans. The stock trades on a low P/S multiple relative to peers. If government backed infrastructure spending does pick up, Trifast’s position in critical fastening solutions could become more important than the current share price suggests.
Trifast’s low P/S and global footprint could be masking a more interesting turnaround story as UK infrastructure spending debates heat up. Before you decide it is just another small industrial, read the 3 key rewards and 1 important warning sign
Build your own Trifast style shortlist
Trifast and the two other stocks in this article all came from a single Simply Wall St screen, and you can set up something similar in minutes. Use our flexible Screener to mix filters such as valuation, growth, balance sheet strength and dividends to suit your style, or tap into any of our curated Investing Ideas.
Forterra (LSE:FORT)
Overview: Forterra is a UK based manufacturer of clay and concrete building products, supplying bricks, blocks, precast floors, façades, chimneys and other structural components used in housing, commercial projects and public infrastructure, sold under brands such as London Brick, Thermalite and Bison Precast.
Operations: Forterra generates around £293 million from Bricks and Blocks and £70 million from Bespoke Products, with total revenue of about £360 million almost entirely from the United Kingdom.
Market Cap: £307 million
Forterra is closely tied to any push for more UK housebuilding and infrastructure, supplying core materials into a market where customer sentiment is described as improving and industry capacity has been reset after a tough period. Heavy recent investment in automated brick plants and lower carbon products could leave earnings sensitive to any sustained change in housing starts or government backed construction. Analysts also describe room for recovery after years of weaker results and one off hits. The flip side is clear dependence on UK new build housing, exposure to overcapacity risk and an uneven dividend record. That balance between rebased expectations and recovery potential is what makes Forterra a stock that some investors are examining closely.
Forterra’s heavy investment and rebased expectations could be masking a sharper earnings reset than the market credits. To see what the numbers really point to, go through the analysis report for Forterra.
Ashtead Technology Holdings (LSE:AT.)
Overview: Ashtead Technology Holdings rents out specialist subsea equipment and provides inspection and maintenance services that support offshore energy projects across renewables, oil and gas, decommissioning, and industrial infrastructure. Its kit and expertise are used to survey seabeds, inspect underwater structures and keep offshore assets functioning safely over their full life.
Operations: Ashtead Technology Holdings generates about £203 million of revenue from oil well equipment and services, with around £136 million from Europe and the rest spread across the Americas, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
Market Cap: £341 million
Ashtead Technology Holdings may appeal to investors who think subsea inspection and maintenance will matter more as offshore wind, decommissioning and critical energy infrastructure draw attention. Earnings growth has been strong in recent years, profit margins are in the mid teens and return on equity sits above 20%. The stock trades on a P/E that is below sector and European averages and below some estimates of fair value. Set against that, the company carries high debt and profit margins have come under some pressure, so investors need to be comfortable with balance sheet risk and the possibility of slower growth than the wider market.
Ashtead Technology Holdings looks like a growth story hiding in plain sight, with solid margins, strong recent earnings and a P/E below sector and European averages. See how that mix stacks up in the 5 key rewards and 1 important warning sign
Seeking Fresh Alternatives Before Momentum Hits
Some stocks sit quietly just before a breakout while the crowd looks elsewhere. Use that gap. Scan fresh ideas with momentum building under the radar for now and consider your options.
- Identify stronger balance sheets early and filter for companies in the list of solid balance sheet and fundamentals (21 results) that may still sit under most investors' radars.
- Explore potential cash generative AI-related opportunities and track firms in the 68 profitable AI stocks that aren't just burning cash before sentiment changes valuations.
- Prepare for possible dividend-focused flows and shortlist high yielders from the 4 dividend fortresses while prices may still reflect hesitation.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com