James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) Hits New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $19.85 and last traded at $20.32, with a volume of 283828 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $21.24.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on JHX shares. StockNews.com upgraded James Hardie Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Raymond James set a $55.00 price objective on James Hardie Industries in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley upgraded James Hardie Industries from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Macquarie lowered shares of James Hardie Industries from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of James Hardie Industries from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $27.40 to $27.35 in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $42.45.

James Hardie Industries Stock Performance

The company's 50-day simple moving average is $28.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.33. The stock has a market cap of $9.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.31, a PEG ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. 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 $953.30 million for 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, sell-side analysts expect that James Hardie Industries plc will post 1.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in James Hardie Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in James Hardie Industries in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of James Hardie Industries by 45.3% during the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 972 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of James Hardie Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at about $71,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in James Hardie Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. 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.