DOW vs. JHX: Dow vs. James Hardie Industries Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Dow (DOW) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Dow (DOW) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Profile Item	DOW	JHX
Name	Dow 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	Commodity Chemicals	Construction Materials
Market Capitalization	22.73 billion USD	16.20 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 20, 2019	October 22, 2001
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DOW

JHX

GSPC

Dow (DOW) 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 Dow (DOW) and James Hardie Industries (JHX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Dow (DOW) 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 Dow (DOW) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	DOW	JHX
Total Return (1Y)	46.93%	72.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-8.46%	0.38%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-6.94%	-5.23%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DOW

JHX

GSPC

Dow (DOW) 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 Dow (DOW) 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 Dow (DOW) is defensive at 0.44 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Dow (DOW) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	DOW	JHX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.81%	44.97%
Beta (5Y)	0.44	1.74
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-64.37%	-60.26%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.52M	9.36M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DOW 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 Dow (DOW) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	DOW	JHX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.02	1.51
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.62	2.59

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative ROE of -3.24%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile James Hardie Industries (JHX) reports 5.46%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

-3.24%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
DOW: -3.24%
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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative net margin of -2.11%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile James Hardie Industries (JHX) reports 6.22%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

-2.11%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
DOW: -2.11%
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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Dow (DOW) at 6.78% and James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 19.56% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

DOW

Materials industry group

6.78%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
DOW: 6.78%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Dow (DOW) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	DOW	JHX
ROE (TTM)	-3.24%	5.46%
ROA (TTM)	1.87%	4.42%
Net Margin (TTM)	-2.11%	6.22%
Operating Margin (TTM)	6.78%	19.56%
Gross Margin (TTM)	11.01%	38.25%

Growth

Revenue Growth

James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 24.71% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Dow (DOW) at -6.97% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Neither side shows strong earnings momentum: James Hardie Industries (JHX) at -80.61% sits in the bottom EPS growth quartile, and Dow (DOW) at -335.67% is weaker still, below its industry range.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Dow (DOW) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	DOW	JHX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-6.97%	24.71%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-11.11%	8.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-335.67%	-80.61%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-45.13%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Dow (DOW) at 1.76 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.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.76

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
DOW: 1.76
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 0.63 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Dow (DOW) at 1.08 uses more debt funding than most peers.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.08

Max: 1.98
DOW: 1.08
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
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

Dow (DOW) 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 Dow (DOW) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	DOW	JHX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.76	2.12
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.08	0.63
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.21	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 Dow (DOW) reports a yield of 4.38%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

4.38%

Max: 4.52%
DOW: 4.38%
Q3: 1.85%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports payout ratio above 100% at 700.00%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings; James Hardie Industries (JHX) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%).

DOW

Materials industry group

700.00%

DOW: 700.00%
Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Dow (DOW) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	DOW	JHX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.38%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	700.00%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: James Hardie Industries (JHX) trades at 48.02 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Dow (DOW) has no P/E ratio this period.

DOW

Materials industry group

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93
DOW: --

JHX

Materials industry group

48.02

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

Dow (DOW) vs. James Hardie Industries (JHX): DOW does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; JHX is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Dow (DOW) at 0.53 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 2.86 prices around its industry’s middle — DOW costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

DOW

Materials industry group

0.53

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
DOW: 0.53
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

Dow (DOW) 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 Dow (DOW) at 1.41 and James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 2.41 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.41

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
DOW: 1.41
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Dow (DOW) and James Hardie Industries (JHX)
Metric	DOW	JHX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	--	48.02
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.53	2.86
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.41	2.41
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.95%	0.98%