Analysts Set James Hardie Industries PLC. (NYSE:JHX) Price Target at $26.15

Shares of James Hardie Industries PLC. (NYSE:JHX) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $26.7056.

JHX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of James Hardie Industries from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Vertical Research raised shares of James Hardie Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Raymond James Financial set a $21.00 price objective on shares of James Hardie Industries in a report on Monday, December 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised James Hardie Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on James Hardie Industries from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th.

James Hardie Industries Stock Performance

JHX stock opened at $25.86 on Thursday. James Hardie Industries has a 1 year low of $16.46 and a 1 year high of $33.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 95.76, a PEG ratio of 5.96 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.54. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $22.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.53.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The construction company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.01. James Hardie Industries had a net margin of 2.70% and a return on equity of 13.52%. The firm had revenue of $1.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.21 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.36 EPS. James Hardie Industries’s quarterly revenue was up 30.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that James Hardie Industries will post 1.39 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 641.2% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,223 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058 shares in the last quarter. MAI Capital Management grew its position in James Hardie Industries by 4,266.7% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 1,310 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,280 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 11,238.5% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,474 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 1,461 shares in the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of James Hardie Industries by 3,431.1% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,589 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,544 shares in the last quarter. 7.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.