James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) Sees Strong Trading Volume

Shares of James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 22,855 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 53% from the previous session's volume of 48,456 shares.The stock last traded at $39.16 and had previously closed at $40.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JHX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered James Hardie Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Bank of America downgraded James Hardie Industries from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $35.50 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd.

James Hardie Industries Trading Down 1.9 %

The firm's 50 day moving average price is $38.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The stock has a market cap of $17.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.69.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 12th. The construction company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $978.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $960.23 million. James Hardie Industries had a return on equity of 38.75% and a net margin of 13.93%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.29 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that James Hardie Industries plc will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in James Hardie Industries by 231.6% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,170 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 2,214 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in James Hardie Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA boosted its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 880.0% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 1,960 shares of the construction company's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 1,760 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC grew its position in James Hardie Industries by 327.2% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 2,217 shares of the construction company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,698 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor Group Holdings Inc. grew its position in James Hardie Industries by 150.7% in the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 2,472 shares of the construction company's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,486 shares during the period. 7.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.