Truist Financial Maintains Buy Rating on James Hardie Industries PLC with $25 Price Target.

Truist Financial analyst Keith Hughes maintains a Buy rating on James Hardie Industries PLC with a $25.00 price target. Hughes has a 20.0% average return and a 66.05% success rate on recommended stocks. The company has a Strong Buy analyst consensus and a $27.00 price target consensus.

James Hardie Industries PLC (NYSE: JHX), a leading producer and marketer of high-performance fiber cement and fiber gypsum building solutions, has been the subject of recent attention from securities law firms and analysts. The company's stock has experienced significant volatility following the revelation of potential inventory loading issues in its North American business.

On August 27, 2025, leading securities law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announced an investigation into James Hardie for potential violations of federal securities laws. The investigation centers around the company's North American sales, which may have been driven by temporary inventory loading by channel partners rather than sustainable customer demand. This revelation came to light after the company reported a 12% decline in North American net sales during its fiscal Q1 2026, driven by lower volumes as customers returned to more normal inventory levels [1].

The stock price of James Hardie Industries reacted swiftly to this news, falling by more than 34% from $28.43 per share on August 19, 2025, to $18.64 per share on August 20, 2025 [1]. Despite this decline, analysts maintain a generally positive outlook on the stock.

Truist Financial analyst Keith Hughes, for instance, maintains a Buy rating on James Hardie Industries PLC with a $25.00 price target. Hughes has a 20.0% average return and a 66.05% success rate on recommended stocks. The company has a Strong Buy analyst consensus with a $27.00 price target consensus [2].

According to the research reports of 10 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for James Hardie Industries is $33.27, with a high forecast of $55.00 and a low forecast of $25.00. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "buy" JHX shares. The predicted upside based on analysts' 12-month stock forecasts is 65.84% [2].

Over the previous 90 days, James Hardie Industries' stock had 2 upgrades by analysts. The company has been rated by research analysts at Baird R W, Jefferies Financial Group, Macquarie, Robert W. Baird, Truist Financial, UBS Group, and William Blair [2].

While the company faces regulatory scrutiny, the positive analyst ratings and forecasts suggest that investors might see potential upside in the stock. However, investors should closely monitor the ongoing investigation and the company's financial performance.

References:
[1] https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/08/27/3139845/0/en/JHX-INVESTOR-NOTIFICATION-James-Hardie-Industries-plc-Investors-are-Urged-to-Contact-BFA-Law-about-the-Pending-Securities-Fraud-Investigation-NYSE-JHX.html
[2] https://www.marketbeat.com/stocks/NYSE/JHX/forecast/