CF vs. JHX: CF Industries vs. James Hardie Industries Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX) both fall under the Materials industry group, but CF is classified in Chemicals while JHX is classified in Construction Materials.

Company profile comparison for CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Profile Item	CF	JHX
Name	CF Industries Holdings, Inc.	James Hardie Industries plc
Country/Region	United States	Ireland
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Construction Materials
GICS Sub-Industry	Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals	Construction Materials
Market Capitalization	17.46 billion USD	16.20 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	August 11, 2005	October 22, 2001
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

JHX

GSPC

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	CF	JHX
Total Return (1Y)	49.36%	72.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	17.00%	0.38%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	16.09%	-5.23%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

JHX

GSPC

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

James Hardie Industries (JHX) has an aggressive beta of 1.74, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while CF Industries (CF) is defensive at 0.56 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	CF	JHX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	43.66%	44.97%
Beta (5Y)	0.56	1.74
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-48.36%	-60.26%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.49M	9.36M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CF and JHX are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	CF	JHX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.03	1.51
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.59	2.59

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 30.86% sits in the top ROE quartile, while James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 5.46% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CF.

CF

Materials industry group

30.86%

Max: 52.88%
CF: 30.86%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

JHX

Materials industry group

5.46%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
JHX: 5.46%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 27.48% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 6.22%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

CF

Materials industry group

27.48%

Max: 38.66%
CF: 27.48%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

JHX

Materials industry group

6.22%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
JHX: 6.22%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 34.36% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 19.56%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CF

Materials industry group

34.36%

Max: 66.70%
CF: 34.36%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

JHX

Materials industry group

19.56%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
JHX: 19.56%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	CF	JHX
ROE (TTM)	30.86%	5.46%
ROA (TTM)	12.61%	4.42%
Net Margin (TTM)	27.48%	6.22%
Operating Margin (TTM)	34.36%	19.56%
Gross Margin (TTM)	42.52%	38.25%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both CF Industries (CF) at 19.34% and James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 24.71% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

CF Industries (CF) at 33.09% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while James Hardie Industries (JHX) at -80.61% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	CF	JHX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	19.34%	24.71%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-14.12%	8.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)	33.09%	-80.61%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-18.19%	-45.13%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 2.98 and James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 2.12 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

CF

Materials industry group

2.98

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
CF: 2.98
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

JHX

Materials industry group

2.12

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
JHX: 2.12
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 0.41 and James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 0.63 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CF

Materials industry group

0.41

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
CF: 0.41
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

JHX

Materials industry group

0.63

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
JHX: 0.63
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	CF	JHX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.98	2.12
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.41	0.63
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.21	2.43

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

James Hardie Industries (JHX) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile CF Industries (CF) reports a yield of 1.77%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CF

Materials industry group

1.77%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
CF: 1.77%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

JHX

Materials industry group

0.00%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
JHX: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

James Hardie Industries (JHX) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile CF Industries (CF) reports a payout of 14.81%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CF

Materials industry group

14.81%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
CF: 14.81%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

JHX

Materials industry group

0.00%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
JHX: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	CF	JHX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.77%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	14.81%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 8.42 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 48.02 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

CF

Materials industry group

8.42

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
CF: 8.42
Min: 3.93

JHX

Materials industry group

48.02

Max: 59.00
JHX: 48.02
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both CF Industries (CF) at 2.20 and James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 2.86 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

CF

Materials industry group

2.20

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
CF: 2.20
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

JHX

Materials industry group

2.86

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
JHX: 2.86
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both CF Industries (CF) at 3.10 and James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 2.41 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

CF

Materials industry group

3.10

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
CF: 3.10
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

JHX

Materials industry group

2.41

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
JHX: 2.41
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

CF Industries (CF) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for CF Industries (CF) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	CF	JHX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	8.42	48.02
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.20	2.86
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.10	2.41
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	9.10%	0.98%