James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) Now Covered by Analysts at Vertical Research

Key Points

• Vertical Research has initiated coverage of James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX), assigning a "hold" rating, while other firms have given it ratings ranging from "strong buy" to "outperform."
• As of Monday, James Hardie Industries' stock was trading at $21.29, reflecting a 1.8% decline in value.
• The company reported earnings of $0.29 per share for the last quarter, missing estimates and marking a 9.3% year-over-year decline in revenue.

Analysts at Vertical Research started coverage on shares of James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday. The brokerage set a "hold" rating on the construction company's stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of James Hardie Industries in a research note on Friday, August 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $34.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of James Hardie Industries in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Wolfe Research started coverage on James Hardie Industries in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of James Hardie Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, William Blair initiated coverage on shares of James Hardie Industries in a research note on Friday, June 27th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, James Hardie Industries currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.39.

James Hardie Industries Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of JHX stock traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $21.29. The stock had a trading volume of 2,337,724 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,695,558. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.55 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 3.76 and a quick ratio of 3.31. James Hardie Industries has a 12-month low of $17.85 and a 12-month high of $37.65. The firm's 50-day moving average is $21.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.78.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 19th. The construction company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.07). James Hardie Industries had a return on equity of 27.95% and a net margin of 8.75%.The business had revenue of $899.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $982.60 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that James Hardie Industries will post 1.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 70.4% in the 2nd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,101 shares of the construction company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of James Hardie Industries by 641.2% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,223 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,058 shares during the last quarter. MAI Capital Management grew its holdings 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 valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,280 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in James Hardie Industries by 11,238.5% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,474 shares of the construction company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 7.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

James Hardie Industries Company Profile

James Hardie Industries plc manufactures and sells fiber cement, fiber gypsum, and cement bonded building products for interior and exterior building construction applications primarily in the United States, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and the Philippines. The company operates through North America Fiber Cement, Asia Pacific Fiber Cement, and Europe Building Products segments.

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