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

James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in 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 daily trading volume, of 90,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.6 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of JHX. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of James Hardie Industries by 45.3% during the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 972 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 4.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,551 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its stake in James Hardie Industries by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 52,416 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in James Hardie Industries by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 18,074 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $616,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 5,220 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $161,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 7.96% of the company’s stock.

James Hardie Industries Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE JHX traded down $0.48 on Monday, reaching $31.13. The company had a trading volume of 74,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 91,178. James Hardie Industries has a 52 week low of $29.88 and a 52 week high of $43.57. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $32.42 and its 200-day moving average is $34.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market cap of $13.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.82, a PEG ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 1.81.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $953.30 million during 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%. Equities analysts predict that James Hardie Industries will post 1.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised James Hardie Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com lowered James Hardie Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of James Hardie Industries in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of James Hardie Industries in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $45.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.00.

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.