James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX) Short Interest Update

James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 49,800 shares, a decrease of 38.7% from the January 31st total of 81,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 90,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.6 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on JHX. StockNews.com downgraded James Hardie Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial began coverage on James Hardie Industries in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $45.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of James Hardie Industries in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded James Hardie Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, James Hardie Industries currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.00.

Institutional Trading of James Hardie Industries

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JHX. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 39.4% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,238 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 1,763 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 29.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 25,716 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,032,000 after acquiring an additional 5,895 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 28,996 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,164,000 after acquiring an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $213,000. Finally, PDS Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $255,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.96% of the company’s stock.

James Hardie Industries Price Performance

JHX traded up $0.01 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $31.15. 90,321 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 91,157. The company’s 50-day moving average is $32.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.41. The company has a market cap of $13.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.84, a P/E/G ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 1.81. 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 $29.88 and a 12-month high of $43.57.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $953.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $967.63 million. James Hardie Industries had a return on equity of 33.65% and a net margin of 11.15%. Research analysts forecast that James Hardie Industries will post 1.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.