James Hardie Faces Class Action for Concealing 12% Sales Decline in North America
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Source: Globenewswire
Updated: 1 hour ago
0mins
Source: Globenewswire
- Deadline Approaching: The lead plaintiff deadline for the class action lawsuit against James Hardie (JHX) is December 23, 2025, urging investors to act quickly to protect their rights.
- Stock Crash: Following the company's disclosure of a 12% decline in North American sales due to customer destocking, the stock plummeted over 34% on August 20, 2025, indicating severe market concerns about the company's financial health.
- Concealed Inventory Issues: The lawsuit alleges that management was aware of significant distributor destocking by April and May 2025 but misled investors by claiming robust demand, resulting in substantial investor losses.
- Legal Implications: Hagens Berman is calling on investors who purchased JHX stock between May 20 and August 18, 2025, and suffered losses to contact them to discuss legal options and potential lead plaintiff status.
JHX.N$0.0000%Past 6 months

No Data
Analyst Views on JHX
Wall Street analysts forecast JHX stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for JHX is 25.19 USD with a low forecast of 21.00 USD and a high forecast of 30.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
Wall Street analysts forecast JHX stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for JHX is 25.19 USD with a low forecast of 21.00 USD and a high forecast of 30.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
Current: 19.070

Current: 19.070

Equal Weight
initiated
$21
Reason
Barclays initiated coverage of James Hardie with an Equal Weight rating and $21 price target. The firm says the premium siding category is "uniquely attractive" with long-term material conversion driving outgrowth. It prefers P Building Solutions on a relative basis.
Vertical Research
Adam Baumgarten
upgrade
$21
Reason
Vertical Research
Adam Baumgarten
Vertical Research analyst Adam Baumgarten upgraded James Hardie to Buy from Hold with a $21 price target.
Outperform
downgrade
$28 -> $26
Reason
Baird lowered the firm's price target on James Hardie to $26 from $28 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. The firm updated its model following Q2 results and noted its outlook is a step in the right direction.
Neutral -> Buy
upgrade
$33
Reason
Citi upgraded James Hardie to Buy from Neutral with a price target of A$36.50, up from A$33. The firm sees an attractive risk/reward at current share levels as it believes the company is on pace to beat fiscal 2026 expectations. Citi views James Hardie's risks as manageable and is "cautiously optimistic" on the housing market.
About JHX
James Hardie Industries plc is an Ireland-based company, which is engaged in providing exterior home and outdoor living solutions, with a portfolio that includes fiber cement, fiber gypsum, and composite and PVC decking and railing products. The Company's segments include North America Fiber Cement, Asia Pacific Fiber Cement and Europe Building Products. The Company's North America Fiber Cement segment manufactures fiber cement interior linings, exterior siding products and related accessories in the United States and these products are sold in the United States and Canada. The Company's Asia Pacific Fiber Cement segment includes fiber cement products manufactured in Australia and sold in Australia and New Zealand. Its Europe Building Products segment includes fiber gypsum products manufactured in Europe, and fiber cement products manufactured in the United States that are sold in Europe. The Company’s brands include Hardie, TimberTech, AZEK Exteriors, Versatex, fermacell and StruXure.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.