Loop Capital Upgrades James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) to Strong-Buy

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Loop Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Monday, Zacks reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of James Hardie Industries from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of James Hardie Industries from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of James Hardie Industries from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $34.00 target price on James Hardie Industries in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of James Hardie Industries in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.78.

James Hardie Industries Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of JHX stock opened at $26.87 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $28.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 107.50, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.77. James Hardie Industries has a fifty-two week low of $16.46 and a fifty-two week high of $31.43.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The construction company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. James Hardie Industries had a net margin of 2.69% and a return on equity of 10.56%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.29 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that James Hardie Industries will post 1.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 12.3% in the second quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 8,737,905 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $228,758,000 after purchasing an additional 954,317 shares during the period. Hill City Capital LP raised its stake in James Hardie Industries by 1.8% during the second quarter. Hill City Capital LP now owns 5,723,900 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $149,852,000 after purchasing an additional 102,200 shares during the period. RDST Capital LLC raised its stake in James Hardie Industries by 24.0% during the second quarter. RDST Capital LLC now owns 4,015,067 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $105,114,000 after purchasing an additional 776,950 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in James Hardie Industries by 48.5% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,839,489 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $72,720,000 after purchasing an additional 1,254,400 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 22.5% in the 2nd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,166,998 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $57,707,000 after purchasing an additional 397,621 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting James Hardie Industries

Here are the key news stories impacting James Hardie Industries this week:

• Positive Sentiment: At its 2026 Investor Day, James Hardie reaffirmed its fiscal 2027 sales outlook, excluding Europe, and raised its free-cash-flow target. Management also outlined long-term growth opportunities focused on fiber-cement products, market expansion and portfolio optimization. James Hardie Reaffirms Fiscal 2027 Sales Outlook, Raises Free Cash Flow Target
• Positive Sentiment: The company confirmed its second-quarter fiscal 2027 and full-year sales and adjusted EBITDA outlooks, supporting the view that operating momentum remains intact. Its strategy presentation emphasized long-term value creation and disciplined capital allocation. James Hardie Hosts 2026 Investor Day, Outlines Path to Long-term Value Creation
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer reaffirmed its “outperform” rating and set a $36 price target, implying substantial upside from the recent trading level. This provides a favorable counterpoint to the market’s near-term caution.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s planned sale of its European fiber-gypsum and cement-bonded products business for €840 million is intended to simplify the portfolio and concentrate resources on higher-priority growth areas. However, the exclusion of Europe from the outlook may limit the immediate earnings impact.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors appear to be taking profits after JHX recently approached a 52-week high and reassessing whether the Investor Day produced enough incremental upside beyond guidance already raised in August. The high trading volume is consistent with repositioning around the event. James Hardie Industries Slides as Investors Reassess Near-Term Catalysts
• Negative Sentiment: Reported insider activity shows executives sold shares and made no open-market purchases during the past six months. While not necessarily evidence of deteriorating fundamentals, the selling can reinforce short-term investor caution.

James Hardie Industries Company Profile

James Hardie Industries plc is a building materials company specializing in fiber cement and fiber gypsum products. Its products are used in residential and commercial construction, remodeling and repair applications, including exterior siding, trim, soffits, weatherboard, roofing components and interior wall systems.

The company markets products under brands that include Hardie and Fermacell. Its fiber cement materials are designed to provide durability and resistance to fire, moisture, pests and weather, serving applications where alternatives such as wood, vinyl or traditional gypsum may be used.

Founded in Australia in 1888, James Hardie has developed into an international manufacturer and supplier serving customers across North America, Australia and New Zealand, Europe and other markets.