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

Shares of James Hardie Industries PLC. (NYSE:JHX) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $25.9278.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on JHX. Zacks Research downgraded shares of James Hardie Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of James Hardie Industries from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Wolfe Research started coverage on James Hardie Industries in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Raymond James Financial set a $21.00 price objective on James Hardie Industries in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Citigroup raised James Hardie Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th.

James Hardie Industries Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE:JHX opened at $23.67 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $20.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.23. James Hardie Industries has a fifty-two week low of $16.46 and a fifty-two week high of $34.96. The stock has a market cap of $10.17 billion, a PE ratio of 49.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.82 and a beta of 1.80.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 17th. The construction company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. James Hardie Industries had a net margin of 4.67% and a return on equity of 18.40%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 34.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.36 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that James Hardie Industries will post 1.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of James Hardie Industries by 70.4% in the 2nd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,101 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in James Hardie Industries by 641.2% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,223 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,058 shares in the last quarter. MAI Capital Management lifted its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 4,266.7% in the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 1,310 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,280 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in James Hardie Industries by 11,238.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,474 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in James Hardie Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.96% of the company’s stock.

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.