James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) Stock Rating Upgraded by Stephens

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) was upgraded by research analysts at Stephens to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on JHX. Zacks Research downgraded James Hardie Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Barclays cut their price objective on James Hardie Industries from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $26.56.

James Hardie Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JHX opened at $26.67 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $22.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 121.22 and a beta of 1.80. James Hardie Industries has a one year low of $16.46 and a one year high of $29.83.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The construction company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. James Hardie Industries had a net margin of 2.15% and a return on equity of 11.13%. The firm’s revenue was up 44.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.36 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that James Hardie Industries will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in James Hardie Industries by 14.7% in the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,890 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 884 shares during the last quarter. Xponance LLC grew its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Xponance LLC now owns 16,879 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 911 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,684 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $139,000 after purchasing an additional 936 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 67.1% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,576 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,034 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of James Hardie Industries by 46.5% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,532 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $86,000 after buying an additional 1,439 shares during the period. 7.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.