James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at StockNews.com

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of James Hardie Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th.

James Hardie Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:JHX opened at $34.61 on Tuesday. James Hardie Industries has a 12 month low of $29.88 and a 12 month high of $43.57. The company has a market cap of $14.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $35.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.40.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The construction company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $960.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $973.49 million. James Hardie Industries had a return on equity of 36.30% and a net margin of 11.16%. The firm’s revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that James Hardie Industries will post 1.46 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of James Hardie Industries by 55.7% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,045 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of James Hardie Industries by 46.3% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,365 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank purchased a new position in shares of James Hardie Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $66,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries in the 1st quarter worth approximately $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.96% of the company’s stock.

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.