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

James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 49,800 shares, a drop of 38.7% from the January 31st total of 81,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 90,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on JHX shares. Truist Financial began coverage on James Hardie Industries in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $45.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of James Hardie Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of James Hardie Industries in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $45.00.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in James Hardie Industries by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 964,583 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $29,718,000 after purchasing an additional 161,059 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of James Hardie Industries by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 453,206 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $13,963,000 after buying an additional 73,504 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of James Hardie Industries by 76.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 374,164 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $11,528,000 after acquiring an additional 161,899 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 190,243 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,861,000 after acquiring an additional 17,783 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 160,273 shares of the construction company's stock worth $6,435,000 after acquiring an additional 29,401 shares in the last quarter. 7.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

James Hardie Industries Stock Performance

Shares of James Hardie Industries stock traded up $1.12 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $32.29. 48,394 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 90,178. James Hardie Industries has a one year low of $29.88 and a one year high of $43.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.97, a P/E/G ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 1.81. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $32.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.41.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $953.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $967.63 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that James Hardie Industries will post 1.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.