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JHX vs. SHW: James Hardie Industries vs. Sherwin-Williams Stock Comparison

How do James Hardie Industries (JHX) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) 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

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

Company profile comparison for James Hardie Industries (JHX) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Profile ItemJHXSHW
NameJames Hardie Industries plcThe Sherwin-Williams Company
Country/RegionIrelandUnited States
GICS SectorMaterialsMaterials
GICS Industry GroupMaterialsMaterials
GICS IndustryConstruction MaterialsChemicals
GICS Sub-IndustryConstruction MaterialsSpecialty Chemicals
Market Capitalization16.20 billion USD83.13 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateOctober 22, 2001March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

JHX
SHW
GSPC
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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW), 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 James Hardie Industries (JHX) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for James Hardie Industries (JHX) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
MetricJHXSHW
Total Return (1Y)72.20%5.74%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)0.38%13.18%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-5.23%2.84%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

JHX
SHW
GSPC
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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW), 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 James Hardie Industries (JHX) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for James Hardie Industries (JHX) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
MetricJHXSHW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)44.97%29.59%
Beta (5Y)1.741.02
Max Drawdown (5Y)-60.26%-42.46%
Avg. Volume (3M)9.36M1.72M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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JHX and SHW 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 James Hardie Industries (JHX) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
MetricJHXSHW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.510.05
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.590.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 63.70% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 5.46%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

JHX

Materials industry group

5.46%

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

SHW

Materials industry group

63.70%

SHW
63.70%
Max
52.88%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%
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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 6.22% and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 10.74% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

JHX

Materials industry group

6.22%

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

SHW

Materials industry group

10.74%

Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
SHW
10.74%
Median
5.28%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-20.40%
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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 19.56% and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 17.56% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

JHX

Materials industry group

19.56%

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

SHW

Materials industry group

17.56%

Max
66.70%
Q3
28.92%
SHW
17.56%
Median
12.56%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%
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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for James Hardie Industries (JHX) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
MetricJHXSHW
ROE (TTM)5.46%63.70%
ROA (TTM)4.42%9.48%
Net Margin (TTM)6.22%10.74%
Operating Margin (TTM)19.56%17.56%
Gross Margin (TTM)38.25%48.60%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 24.71% and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 2.06% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at -2.75% 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.

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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for James Hardie Industries (JHX) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
MetricJHXSHW
Revenue Growth (YoY)24.71%2.06%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)8.59%2.10%
EPS Growth (YoY)-80.61%-2.75%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-45.13%9.95%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 2.12 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 0.71 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for SHW.

JHX

Materials industry group

2.12

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

SHW

Materials industry group

0.71

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
Median
2.24
Q1
1.45
SHW
0.71
Min
0.16
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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 0.63 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 3.72 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

JHX

Materials industry group

0.63

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

SHW

Materials industry group

3.72

SHW
3.72
Max
1.98
Q3
0.89
Median
0.47
Q1
0.13
Min
0.00
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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for James Hardie Industries (JHX) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
MetricJHXSHW
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.120.71
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.633.72
Net Debt / EBITDA2.433.04

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 Sherwin-Williams (SHW) reports a yield of 0.91%, ranking against industry peers normally.

JHX

Materials industry group

0.00%

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

SHW

Materials industry group

0.91%

Max
4.52%
Q3
1.85%
SHW
0.91%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): 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 Sherwin-Williams (SHW) reports a payout of 29.35%, ranking against industry peers normally.

JHX

Materials industry group

0.00%

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

SHW

Materials industry group

29.35%

Max
83.62%
Q3
41.37%
SHW
29.35%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for James Hardie Industries (JHX) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
MetricJHXSHW
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.91%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%29.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 31.66 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 48.02 sits in the richer quartile — JHX needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

JHX

Materials industry group

48.02

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

SHW

Materials industry group

31.66

Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
SHW
31.66
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93
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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 2.86 and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 3.34 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

JHX

Materials industry group

2.86

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

SHW

Materials industry group

3.34

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
SHW
3.34
Median
1.87
Q1
0.73
Min
0.00
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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

James Hardie Industries (JHX) at 2.41 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 20.78 prices above its benchmark range — SHW looks rich relative to book.

JHX

Materials industry group

2.41

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

SHW

Materials industry group

20.78

SHW
20.78
Max
6.59
Q3
3.55
Median
2.08
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17
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James Hardie Industries (JHX) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for James Hardie Industries (JHX) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
MetricJHXSHW
P/E Ratio (TTM)48.0231.66
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.863.34
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.4120.78
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)0.98%2.98%