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

James Hardie Industries PLC. (NYSE:JHX) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $25.9278.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on JHX shares. Barclays began coverage on shares of James Hardie Industries in a research note on Monday, December 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $21.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup raised James Hardie Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Raymond James Financial set a $21.00 target price on shares of James Hardie Industries in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of James Hardie Industries in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted 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.

James Hardie Industries Trading Down 1.4%

JHX opened at $23.67 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.31, a PEG ratio of 8.82 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.79. James Hardie Industries has a one year low of $16.46 and a one year high of $34.96. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.99.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 70.4% during the 2nd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,101 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of James Hardie Industries by 641.2% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,223 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,058 shares during the last quarter. MAI Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,280 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in James Hardie Industries during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 7.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.