James Hardie Industries PLC. (NYSE:JHX) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of James Hardie Industries PLC. (NYSE:JHX) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $26.00.

A number of research firms have commented on JHX. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of James Hardie Industries from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of James Hardie Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st.

Institutional Trading of James Hardie Industries

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in JHX. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 259.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 50,649,731 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $972,981,000 after purchasing an additional 36,567,726 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $86,121,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $77,530,000. RDST Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,893,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,641,000. 7.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

James Hardie Industries Stock Up 1.8%

JHX stock opened at $25.62 on Wednesday. James Hardie Industries has a 52 week low of $16.46 and a 52 week high of $29.83. The company has a market capitalization of $14.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 116.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 13.51 and a beta of 1.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $21.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The construction company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.01. James Hardie Industries had a net margin of 2.15% and a return on equity of 11.13%. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.36 EPS. James Hardie Industries’s revenue was up 44.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that James Hardie Industries will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

James Hardie Industries Company Profile

James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE: JHX) is a global manufacturer of high-performance fiber cement building products. The company specializes in exterior cladding, trim and soffit, as well as interior backerboard solutions designed for residential and commercial construction. By combining cement, sand and cellulose fibers, James Hardie produces durable, low-maintenance materials that resist moisture, fire and termite damage, catering to builders, contractors and homeowners through a network of distributors and retail channels.

The company’s flagship products include Hardie® Plank® and Hardie® Panel® siding systems, Hardie® BackerBoard® for tile applications, and a range of architectural trim solutions.