JHX vs HII Comparison

James Hardie is a manufacturer of fiber cement-based building products, selling primarily to the residential construction industry. North America is the primary geography, generating about 80% of group earnings. Here, it is the largest manufacturer of fiber cement, which is mainly used for exterior siding on houses. Following the Azek acquisition in 2025, it also produces wooden composite decking materials, siding trims, and accessories for outdoor areas including stair and deck railing. Businesses in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, make up the rest of earnings.

Huntington Ingalls Industries is the largest independent military shipbuilder in the US, spun out from Northrop Grumman in 2011. It operates three segments, two of which are storied shipyards: Ingalls produces non-nuclear-powered ships including amphibious landing ships and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, while Newport News produces nuclear-powered ships as the only producer of Gerald Ford-class aircraft carriers and a major subcontractor on Virginia- and Columbia-class nuclear submarines. HII shares production of destroyers and nuclear submarines with General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works and Electric Boat shipyards, respectively. The company's mission technologies segment produces uncrewed sea vessels and provides a range of IT and other services to US government agencies.