CEMEX SAB DE CV vs JAMES HARDIE INDUSTRIES PLC, two Building Materials stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Cemex and James Hardie both earn thin returns right now, but the market prices them worlds apart. Cemex, the cement ADR, earns 7.69% on equity and trades at a plain 18.85 times earnings. James Hardie, the fiber-cement siding maker, earns just 1.62% on equity and trades at 140.11 times, a multiple that reflects squeezed earnings rather than optimism about growth. Cemex keeps the wider net margin, 5.93% against 2.15%, converts more free cash, 5.04% against 1.42%, and carries no net debt where Hardie runs 0.71 debt-to-equity. Cemex trades at 1.42 times book to Hardie's 2.26 times. Hardie pays a 1.43% dividend, while Cemex pays none but stands as the cheaper stock on earnings.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | CX | JHX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $12.47 | $24.80 |
| Market cap | $18.0B | $13.5B |
| Sector | Building Materials | Building Materials |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| P/E | 19.2 | 130.5 |
| P/B | 1.45 | 2.11 |
| P/S | 1.11 | 2.80 |
| EV/EBITDA | 5.6 | 18.9 |
| Revenue growth | +6.5% | +8.0% |
| Gross margin | 33.6% | 35.8% |
| Operating margin | 11.2% | 9.3% |
| Net margin | 5.9% | 2.1% |
| Return on equity | 7.7% | 1.6% |
| Return on assets | 3.5% | 0.8% |
| Return on invested capital | 13.6% | 2.0% |
| FCF yield | 5.0% | 1.5% |
| Dividend yield | — | 1.5% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.71 |
| Current ratio | 0.82 | 1.58 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 1.77 | 1.82 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 3 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.