James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume

Shares of James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 53,428 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 4% from the previous session's volume of 51,148 shares.The stock last traded at $31.48 and had previously closed at $30.55.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on JHX. Macquarie upgraded James Hardie Industries from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of James Hardie Industries from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of James Hardie Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, James Hardie Industries presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $35.50.

James Hardie Industries Price Performance

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.79.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of James Hardie Industries by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,002,215 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $38,756,000 after buying an additional 11,235 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in James Hardie Industries by 186.0% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 335,239 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $13,564,000 after purchasing an additional 218,033 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in James Hardie Industries by 39.7% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 313,931 shares of the construction company's stock worth $12,697,000 after purchasing an additional 89,165 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 119,208 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,128,000 after purchasing an additional 3,934 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of James Hardie Industries by 111.1% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 63,558 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,458,000 after purchasing an additional 33,457 shares during the last quarter. 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.