Union Square Park Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 45,000 James Hardie Industries PLC. $JHX

Union Square Park Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of James Hardie Industries PLC. (NYSE:JHX) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 45,000 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $852,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in James Hardie Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $1,038,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its position in shares of James Hardie Industries by 2,088.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 350,760 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,738,000 after acquiring an additional 334,734 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of James Hardie Industries by 819.2% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 630,106 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $13,075,000 after acquiring an additional 561,556 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in James Hardie Industries by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 2,003,166 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $41,566,000 after acquiring an additional 401,435 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV bought a new position in James Hardie Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,244,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.96% of the company’s stock.

James Hardie Industries Stock Performance

Shares of JHX stock opened at $26.52 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $24.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $15.39 billion, a PE ratio of 120.53 and a beta of 1.77. James Hardie Industries PLC. has a 12 month low of $16.46 and a 12 month high of $29.83.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The construction company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.01. James Hardie Industries had a net margin of 2.15% and a return on equity of 11.13%. The business had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.36 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 44.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that James Hardie Industries PLC. will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on JHX. 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 started coverage on shares of James Hardie Industries in a report on Thursday, June 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays reissued a “positive” rating on shares of James Hardie Industries in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, James Hardie Industries presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $27.11.

James Hardie Industries Company Profile

James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE: JHX) is a global manufacturer of high-performance fiber cement building products. The company specializes in exterior cladding, trim and soffit, as well as interior backerboard solutions designed for residential and commercial construction. By combining cement, sand and cellulose fibers, James Hardie produces durable, low-maintenance materials that resist moisture, fire and termite damage, catering to builders, contractors and homeowners through a network of distributors and retail channels.

The company’s flagship products include Hardie® Plank® and Hardie® Panel® siding systems, Hardie® BackerBoard® for tile applications, and a range of architectural trim solutions.