Lazard Asset Management LLC Raises Position in James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX)

Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX - Free Report) by 20.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 964,583 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 161,059 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.22% of James Hardie Industries worth $29,718,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in JHX. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 76.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 374,164 shares of the construction company's stock worth $11,528,000 after acquiring an additional 161,899 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in James Hardie Industries by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 453,206 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $13,963,000 after buying an additional 73,504 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in James Hardie Industries by 184.4% in the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 86,531 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,666,000 after buying an additional 56,104 shares during the last quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new stake in James Hardie Industries in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,457,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in James Hardie Industries in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,100,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.96% of the company's stock.

James Hardie Industries Trading Down 0.6%

James Hardie Industries stock traded down $0.16 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $25.18. The stock had a trading volume of 2,556,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 611,879. The stock 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 plc has a 52 week low of $19.72 and a 52 week high of $43.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 2.18 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.15.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $953.30 million for 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%. Analysts forecast that James Hardie Industries plc will post 1.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on JHX. StockNews.com upgraded shares of James Hardie Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of James Hardie Industries in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of James Hardie Industries from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Macquarie cut shares of James Hardie Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of James Hardie Industries from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $27.40 to $27.35 in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.45.

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.