James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $42.45.

Several analysts have recently commented on JHX shares. Morgan Stanley raised shares of James Hardie Industries from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of James Hardie Industries in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Truist Financial set a $45.00 price objective on shares of James Hardie Industries in a report on Monday, March 24th. Bank of America upgraded shares of James Hardie Industries from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $27.40 to $27.35 in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of James Hardie Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st.

James Hardie Industries Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of James Hardie Industries stock traded down $0.16 on Tuesday, hitting $25.18. 2,556,410 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 611,879. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. James Hardie Industries has a 12-month low of $19.72 and a 12-month high of $43.57. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $24.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.15. The company has a market cap of $10.82 billion, a PE ratio of 24.93, a PEG ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 1.80.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $953.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $967.63 million. James Hardie Industries had a net margin of 11.15% and a return on equity of 33.65%. Sell-side analysts predict that James Hardie Industries will post 1.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in James Hardie Industries by 160.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,697,663 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $63,557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662,743 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in James Hardie Industries by 5,001.3% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 997,875 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $23,510,000 after purchasing an additional 978,314 shares during the last quarter. Ionic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries in the 1st quarter worth approximately $377,000. Concentric Capital Strategies LP bought a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries in the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,419,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries in the 1st quarter worth approximately $439,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.96% of the company's stock.

About James Hardie Industries

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.