JHX vs OC vs ZWS Stock Comparison

James Hardie Industries, Owens Corning and Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
OC Owens Corning
$121.64 +2.8% 1M -2.4% 1Y
Market cap
$9.67B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$9.85B
Div. yield
–
Building Products Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Zurn Elkay Water Solutions 6, James Hardie Industries 3, Owens Corning 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionJHXOCZWSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $15.77B $9.67B $7.42B JHX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 108.2x -14.4x 25.5x ZWS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.1x 13.5x 23.9x OC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +42.9% -7.2% +10.1% JHX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 2.7% -6.8% 15.9% ZWS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 2.6% 0.5% 14.0% ZWS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.5x 6.5x 0.4x ZWS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +26.0% -2.4% -6.8% JHX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -7.3%/yr +5.4%/yr +4.3%/yr OC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 44.9% 42.2% 30.0% ZWS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 36/100 42/100 78/100 ZWS

Percentile Scorecard

JHXOCZWS

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisJHXOCZWS
Valuation 24 #42 of 55 69 #18 of 55 44 #31 of 55
Growth 50 #26 of 51 12 #45 of 51 98 #2 of 51
Profitability 46 #27 of 49 23 #38 of 49 81 #10 of 49
Financial Health 33 #37 of 55 11 #49 of 55 89 #7 of 55
Shareholder Returns 26 #30 of 40 97 #2 of 40 77 #10 of 40
Overall 36 42 78
  • JHX ranked among 59 companies in Construction Products
  • OC ranked among 59 companies in Construction Products
  • ZWS ranked among 59 companies in Construction Products

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodJHXOCZWSSPY
1 month +7.3%+2.8%-4.5% +0.7%
3 months +1.7%-12.4%-10.8% +3.7%
6 months +28.3%-1.4%-13.9% +7.1%
Year to date +29.7%+8.7%-3.8% +12.8%
1 year +26.0%-2.4%-6.8% +11.9%
3 years +8.4%+8.0%+71.6% +85.2%
3 years, per year +2.7%+2.6%+19.7% +22.8%
5 years -31.6%+30.2%+23.3% +67.6%
5 years, per year -7.3%+5.4%+4.3% +10.9%
10 years +80.4%+150.9%+372.3% +262.0%
10 years, per year +6.1%+9.6%+16.8% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureJHXOCZWSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 44.9%42.2%30.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 41.0%38.4%29.2% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.701.490.85 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.58-0.06-0.23 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -60.3%-53.4%-47.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.4%-23.5%-15.9% -1.2%
52-week high $31.09$158.96$53.17 $779.14
52-week low $16.69$98.28$43.46 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleJHXOCZWS
P/E now vs peer median 107.2xmedian 20.3x -14.6xmedian 20.3x 25.6xmedian 20.3x
P/S now vs peer median 2.9xmedian 1.6x 1.0xmedian 1.6x 4.1xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.4xmedian 12.6x 19.1xmedian 12.6x 15.5xmedian 12.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 43.8xmedian 16.9x 10.7xmedian 16.9x 19.1xmedian 16.9x
P/B now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 3.0x 2.5xmedian 3.0x 4.4xmedian 3.0x
PEG now vs peer median -2.70median 1.13 0.39median 1.13 0.65median 1.13

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsJHXOCZWS
Revenue $5.41B $9.85B $1.83B
Gross profit $1.94B $2.56B $920.70M
Operating income $526.70M $50.00M $403.00M
Net income $145.70M -$669.00M $290.60M
Free cash flow $356.40M $897.00M $387.00M
R&D $64.00M $150.00M –
EPS (diluted) $0.25 $-8.33 $1.73
Cash & equivalents $289.90M $271.00M $307.10M
Total debt $4.28B $5.19B $500.30M
Shares (diluted) 584.30M 80.60M 168.11M
Enterprise value $14.84B $8.49B $6.17B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricJHXOCZWS
P/E 107.2x -14.6x 25.6x
P/FCF 43.8x 10.7x 19.1x
P/Operating cash flow 21.5x 5.5x 17.9x
P/S 2.9x 1.0x 4.1x
P/B 2.4x 2.5x 4.4x
P/Tangible book 4.8x 7.1x 8.6x
EV/EBITDA 17.4x 19.1x 15.5x
EV/EBIT 37.2x 290.6x 18.8x
EV/Revenue 3.6x 1.5x 4.2x
EV/FCF 55.0x 16.2x 19.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 27.0x 8.3x 18.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -2.70 0.39 0.65

Growth

14 metrics
MetricJHXOCZWS
Revenue growth (1Y) 42.9% -7.2% 10.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 13.2% 0.5% 6.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 34.4% -19.6% 23.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 13.0% -0.6% 15.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) -5.8% -96.9% 50.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -11.3% -69.8% 31.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -56.0% -300.9% 51.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -34.0% -35.8% 37.0%
EPS growth (1Y) -67.6% -313.8% 53.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -39.7% -37.1% 39.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -11.8% 6.0% 29.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 1.0% 6.1% 13.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 110.4% -1.9% 34.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 75.0% -2.0% 14.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricJHXOCZWS
Gross margin 35.9% 26.0% 50.4%
EBITDA margin 20.9% 7.7% 26.8%
Operating margin 9.7% 0.5% 22.1%
Pretax margin 5.1% -2.2% 21.0%
Net margin 2.7% -6.8% 15.9%
FCF margin 6.6% 9.1% 21.2%
Operating cash flow margin 13.4% 17.8% 22.6%
Return on equity 2.2% -17.8% 17.3%
Return on assets 1.0% -5.2% 10.4%
Return on invested capital 2.6% 0.5% 14.0%
Return on capital employed 4.2% 0.5% 16.2%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.8x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 5.0x -2.6x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% 0.7% 2.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricJHXOCZWS
Debt / assets 31.7% 40.8% 17.8%
Debt / equity 0.7x 1.4x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.5x 6.5x 0.4x
Debt / FCF 12.0x 5.8x 1.3x
Liabilities / assets 51.5% 70.1% 39.7%
Equity / assets 48.5% 29.9% 60.3%
Interest coverage 1.8x 0.4x 16.1x
Current ratio 1.6x 1.2x 2.9x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.6x 1.8x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.1x 1.0x
Altman Z-score 2.14 1.97 4.85

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricJHXOCZWS
Dividend yield – 2.6% 1.0%
Net buyback yield 1.9% 7.1% 2.1%
Shareholder yield 1.9% 9.7% 3.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 25.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 19.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 21.1%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 14.5%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusJHXOCZWS
Forward P/E 19.1xFY2026 13.5xFY2026 23.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.41FY2026 $9.03FY2026 $1.87FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +29.4%FY2026 -25.1%FY2026 +23.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.8% +16.7% +3.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $5.13BFY2026 $10.50BFY2026 $1.81BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +6.0%FY2026 +3.9%FY2026 +6.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +15.1% +0.5% +3.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersJHXOCZWS
Held by institutions 49.9% 100.0% 88.6%
Institutions holding 340 688 437
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.1% +4.2% +0.9%
Institutions buying 190 366 237
Institutions selling 100 220 145
Buyers to sellers 1.90 1.66 1.63

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

JHXOCZWS
JHX 1.00 0.65 0.43
OC 0.65 1.00 0.42
ZWS 0.43 0.42 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, JHX, OC and ZWS?

James Hardie Industries (JHX) is the largest by market capitalisation: James Hardie Industries (JHX) $15.77B, Owens Corning (OC) $9.67B, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) $7.42B.

Which stock is cheaper, JHX, OC and ZWS?

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 108.2x, Owens Corning (OC) -14.4x, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) 25.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Owens Corning (OC) is cheapest (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 19.1x, Owens Corning (OC) 13.5x, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) 23.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

James Hardie Industries (JHX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: James Hardie Industries (JHX) +42.9%, Owens Corning (OC) -7.2%, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) +10.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) has the highest net margin (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 2.7%, Owens Corning (OC) -6.8%, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) 15.9%). On return on invested capital, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) leads (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 2.6%, Owens Corning (OC) 0.5%, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) 14.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year James Hardie Industries (JHX) returned the most: James Hardie Industries (JHX) +26.0%, Owens Corning (OC) -2.4%, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) -6.8%. Over five years, Owens Corning (OC) compounded fastest (James Hardie Industries (JHX) -7.3%/yr, Owens Corning (OC) +5.4%/yr, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) +4.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: James Hardie Industries (JHX) 0.00%, Owens Corning (OC) 0.00%, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) 0.01%. James Hardie Industries (JHX) and Owens Corning (OC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) has been the steadiest (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 44.9%, Owens Corning (OC) 42.2%, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) 30.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, JHX, OC and ZWS?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.