Macquarie Upgrades James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) to Outperform

Macquarie upgraded shares of James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX - Free Report) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat reports.

Several other research firms have also commented on JHX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of James Hardie Industries from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America cut James Hardie Industries from a neutral rating to an underperform rating and set a $35.50 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised James Hardie Industries from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $35.50.

James Hardie Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JHX traded down $5.60 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $30.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 346,349 shares, compared to its average volume of 50,662. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.89. James Hardie Industries has a 1-year low of $24.18 and a 1-year high of $41.98. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $37.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.45. The firm has a market cap of $13.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.72.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JHX. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,755 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $597,000 after acquiring an additional 2,426 shares during the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. bought a new stake in James Hardie Industries during the first quarter worth approximately $208,000. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC grew its position in James Hardie Industries by 8.6% in the first quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 11,141 shares of the construction company's stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 886 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC acquired a new position in James Hardie Industries in the first quarter worth approximately $221,000. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 115.9% in the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 13,663 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $553,000 after buying an additional 7,334 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 7.96% of the company's stock.

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.