Calamos Advisors LLC Raises Position in James Hardie Industries PLC. $JHX

Calamos Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in James Hardie Industries PLC. (NYSE:JHX) by 26.4% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 993,270 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 207,567 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in James Hardie Industries were worth $18,813,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of James Hardie Industries by 17.0% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 50,801 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,197,000 after buying an additional 7,396 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of James Hardie Industries by 160.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,697,663 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $63,557,000 after acquiring an additional 1,662,743 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of James Hardie Industries by 222.4% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 279,009 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,573,000 after acquiring an additional 192,478 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 49.2% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 11,603 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 3,827 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 11,238.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,474 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,461 shares during the period. 7.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

James Hardie Industries Price Performance

JHX stock opened at $25.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.03. James Hardie Industries PLC. has a 1 year low of $16.46 and a 1 year high of $29.83. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $23.25 and a 200 day moving average of $22.43. The company has a market cap of $14.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 117.03 and a beta of 1.77.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The construction company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.01. James Hardie Industries had a return on equity of 11.13% and a net margin of 2.15%.The business had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.36 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 44.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that James Hardie Industries PLC. will post 1.24 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JHX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Zacks Research lowered James Hardie Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Stephens started coverage on James Hardie Industries in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $31.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on James Hardie Industries from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, James Hardie Industries presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $27.00.

About James Hardie Industries

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.