James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) Shares Gap Up Following Strong Earnings

Shares of James Hardie Industries PLC. (NYSE:JHX) gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $24.38, but opened at $26.59. James Hardie Industries shares last traded at $26.3850, with a volume of 2,383,393 shares traded.

The construction company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.01. James Hardie Industries had a net margin of 2.70% and a return on equity of 16.18%. The business had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.36 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 30.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Trending Headlines about James Hardie Industries

Here are the key news stories impacting James Hardie Industries this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results beat Street estimates: Revenue of ~$1.24B and EPS of $0.24 topped consensus, and the company reported 30%+ y/y revenue growth driven largely by the AZEK acquisition — a clear near-term growth driver. MarketBeat Q3 Summary
• Positive Sentiment: AZEK acquisition materially lifted sales and management says cost synergies are coming in ahead of schedule, supporting adjusted EBITDA resilience despite GAAP margin effects — a key reason investors are bullish. BusinessWire Q3 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades: JPMorgan moved JHX from Neutral to Overweight, and independent upgrades/commentary (e.g., Seeking Alpha upgrade to Buy) are increasing investor conviction. Upgrades amplify buying interest after the print. Finviz (JPMorgan note)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company-hosted materials and transcript are available for investors to dig into guidance and segment detail — useful for modelling but not new info beyond the results. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage and analyst pieces (Zacks, Seeking Alpha) are comparing JHX performance versus peers and highlighting that much of the growth this quarter was acquisition-driven rather than organic — important context for investors weighing sustainability. Zacks Peer Comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying organic growth remains modest and GAAP margins fell (~740bps), with reported EPS down y/y (from $0.36 to $0.24) despite the beat — risks for investors who worry about sustainability of acquisition-fueled growth. Seeking Alpha Analysis

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on JHX shares. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on James Hardie Industries from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Raymond James Financial set a $21.00 price objective on James Hardie Industries in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Citigroup upgraded James Hardie Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Barclays started coverage on James Hardie Industries in a report on Monday, December 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $21.00 price target for the company. Finally, Vertical Research raised shares of James Hardie Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, James Hardie Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $26.15.

Institutional Trading of James Hardie Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in James Hardie Industries by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 50,801 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,197,000 after buying an additional 7,396 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of James Hardie Industries by 160.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,697,663 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $63,557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662,743 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in shares of James Hardie Industries by 222.4% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 279,009 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,573,000 after acquiring an additional 192,478 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in shares of James Hardie Industries by 19.5% during the second quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 14,777 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 2,415 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in James Hardie Industries by 537.1% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,009 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 7,595 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.96% of the company’s stock.

James Hardie Industries Stock Up 6.7%

The company has a market capitalization of $11.18 billion, a PE ratio of 96.36, a P/E/G ratio of 7.84 and a beta of 1.80. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

About James Hardie Industries

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.