#7 - James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX)
Rounding out this list of concrete stocks to consider is James Hardie Industries Plc (NYSE: JHX). The company has a market cap of right around 11 billion as of this writing. But we’ll still consider it a mid-cap stock for investors to consider.
This is another company that has its headquarters outside of the United States. And like CRH, the company is based in Ireland. It has operations throughout the world, most notably in the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Paciific region. Also, like CRH, the company is basically ignored by institutional investors who own just over 1% of the stock.
Many investors are most familiar with the company’s Hardie Board products, which are durable replacements for exterior wood and other construction materials. The company espouses a “Zero Harm” culture that has a goal of delivering environmentally-responsible innovative solutions to its customers.
JHX stock has been up 45% in the last five years. The company does not pay a dividend, and the stock carries a beta of 1.40.
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.
Read More - Current Price
- $35.62
- Consensus Rating
- Hold
- Ratings Breakdown
- 2 Buy Ratings, 0 Hold Ratings, 1 Sell Ratings.
- Consensus Price Target
- $35.50 (0.3% Downside)
As with any sector, concrete can be prone to seasonal weakness. It's also sensitive to macroeconomic conditions. However, overall, this is a stable market that can provide investors with a range of stocks that provide significant value.
That stability is evident in the low beta values that many of these stocks possess. A low-beta stock generally has a lower upside but also carries a lower risk. However, because many of these stocks offer dividends, an investor's total return can often keep pace with the broader market in a bull market and keep a portfolio ahead of inflation when the market corrects.
MarketBeat provides tools that can help you do a deep dive into each of these stocks as part of your due diligence. And if you want to avoid picking individual stocks, there are ETFs that include concrete stocks. You have to be a little discriminating because many don't have a lot of exposure to the sector. One of the best appears to be the Fidelity MSCI Materials Index ETF (NYSEARCA: FMAT).
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