James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) Hits New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Shares of James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $22.91 and last traded at $23.17, with a volume of 52977 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $23.56.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James set a $55.00 target price on James Hardie Industries in a research report on Monday, March 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of James Hardie Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of James Hardie Industries in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of James Hardie Industries from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of James Hardie Industries from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $27.40 to $27.35 in a report on Thursday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.45.

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James Hardie Industries Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 2.18 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.15. The firm has a market cap of $9.12 billion, a PE ratio of 21.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 1.80.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $0.36 earnings per share (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 net margin of 11.15% and a return on equity of 33.65%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that James Hardie Industries plc will post 1.39 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of James Hardie Industries by 76.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 374,164 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $11,528,000 after purchasing an additional 161,899 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in James Hardie Industries by 20.0% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 964,583 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $29,718,000 after buying an additional 161,059 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 453,206 shares of the construction company's stock worth $13,963,000 after acquiring an additional 73,504 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in shares of James Hardie Industries by 184.4% in the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 86,531 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,666,000 after acquiring an additional 56,104 shares during the period. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $1,457,000. 7.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.