Beaconlight Capital LLC Buys 37,223 Shares of James Hardie Industries PLC. $JHX

Beaconlight Capital LLC increased its stake in James Hardie Industries PLC. (NYSE:JHX) by 31.9% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 153,863 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,223 shares during the quarter. James Hardie Industries makes up approximately 1.5% of Beaconlight Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Beaconlight Capital LLC’s holdings in James Hardie Industries were worth $2,914,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $1,038,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL lifted its position in James Hardie Industries by 2,088.7% during the third quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 350,760 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,738,000 after acquiring an additional 334,734 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 819.2% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 630,106 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $13,075,000 after acquiring an additional 561,556 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 25.1% during the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 2,003,166 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $41,566,000 after acquiring an additional 401,435 shares during the period. Finally, ING Groep NV bought a new position in shares of James Hardie Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,244,000. 7.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on JHX. Stephens assumed coverage on James Hardie Industries in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $31.00 price target for the company. Barclays restated a “positive” rating on shares of James Hardie Industries in a research note on Friday. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of James Hardie Industries from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, James Hardie Industries has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $27.11.

James Hardie Industries Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE JHX opened at $26.52 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.03. James Hardie Industries PLC. has a 1 year low of $16.46 and a 1 year high of $29.83. The firm has a market cap of $15.39 billion, a PE ratio of 120.53 and a beta of 1.77.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The construction company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. James Hardie Industries had a net margin of 2.15% and a return on equity of 11.13%. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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, research analysts forecast that James Hardie Industries PLC. will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

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.