James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,800 shares, a decline of 94.2% from the December 15th total of 170,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 90,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial started 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of James Hardie Industries from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of James Hardie Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $40.25.

James Hardie Industries Stock Up 1.2 %

JHX stock traded up $0.36 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $31.11. 165,737 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 101,262. The company has a market cap of $13.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.80, a P/E/G ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 1.80. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $33.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.56. James Hardie Industries has a 52 week low of $29.88 and a 52 week high of $43.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The construction company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. James Hardie Industries had a return on equity of 35.93% and a net margin of 11.16%. The business had revenue of $960.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $973.49 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.41 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that James Hardie Industries will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in James Hardie Industries by 46.3% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,365 shares of the construction company's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank purchased a new position in shares of James Hardie Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of James Hardie Industries during the 3rd quarter worth $64,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in James Hardie Industries in the 3rd quarter worth about $71,000. 7.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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