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

James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 37,300 shares, a drop of 25.1% from the February 13th total of 49,800 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 91,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.4 days.

James Hardie Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JHX traded down $2.58 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $28.78. 242,132 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 91,704. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $32.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.12. The company has a market capitalization of $12.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 1.84. James Hardie Industries has a 52-week low of $28.77 and a 52-week high of $43.57. 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 (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 the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.01. James Hardie Industries had a net margin of 11.15% and a return on equity of 33.65%. The firm had revenue of $953.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $967.63 million. Equities research analysts forecast that James Hardie Industries will post 1.39 EPS for the current year.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on JHX. Truist Financial initiated coverage on James Hardie Industries in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $45.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of James Hardie Industries in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of James Hardie Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $45.00.

Institutional Trading of James Hardie Industries

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of James Hardie Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in James Hardie Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its stake in James Hardie Industries by 45.3% in the 4th 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 during the period. Huntington National Bank bought a new stake in James Hardie Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 7.96% of the stock is 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.