James Hardie Industries Plc (ASX: JHX) shares are showing a little more life on Thursday.

The James Hardie share price is up 0.29% to $37.41 in late morning trade, but that barely dents its recent losses.

The stock has fallen almost 15% over the past month and more than 8% in a week, although it is still up around 21% in 2026.

Wednesday was particularly rough, with the shares dropping 5.23% after the company held its 2026 Investor Day.

Management reckons the company can keep growing strongly even if the US housing market stays weak.

But can it actually pull that off?

The US market remains difficult

The backdrop in the United States is still pretty tough.

US homebuilder sentiment fell to a 12-month low in September, while the average 30-year mortgage rate recently hit 6.76%.

Existing home sales also dropped 2% in August to an annualised rate of 3.98 million, the lowest level in 14 months.

That’s not exactly ideal when North America is still the biggest part of James Hardie’s business.

But management isn’t banking on cheaper mortgages or a housing rebound to drive growth.

At its Investor Day, James Hardie said it is targeting organic growth of 4% to 7% above the market over the longer term.

And the company reckons it can get there even if housing conditions stay weak.

Growth is still holding up

James Hardie’s first-quarter numbers suggest the plan is already starting to show through.

Q1 FY27 revenue rose 64% to US$1.48 billion, while pro-forma sales increased 12%.

North American fibre cement sales also grew 20% organically during the quarter, even with US housing still struggling.

That’s probably the number I’d be paying closest attention to from here.

If James Hardie can keep growing ahead of the housing market, it takes some of the pressure off waiting for a full recovery.

Can it keep this going?

The next few results should give investors a better idea of whether James Hardie can keep this up.

So far, the early signs are encouraging.

At $37.41, the shares are well below their August high of $44.12, despite the business still moving in the right direction.

If James Hardie can keep growing ahead of the wider housing market, I think investors could start looking at the stock a little differently.

And if US housing eventually improves as well, that would give the company another reason to keep growing.

The post James Hardie says it doesn’t need a US housing recovery. Can it prove it? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

CSL Ltd’s (ASX: CSL) board has admitted the financial performance of the business has been disappointing, but vowed to do better ahead of the company’s upcoming annual general meeting.

Aiming for improvement

In the notice of meeting lodged with the ASX, CSL chair Brian McNamee said the past year had been one of “significant change” for the blood products company, “and the board acknowledges that many shareholders are frustrated with the recent disappointing commercial and financial performance of the company”.

Mr McNamee added:

This includes reporting a multibillion-dollar statutory loss, driven by significant restructuring activity, leadership transition and the recognition of substantial non-cash balance sheet impairments. We built up substantial fixed costs, we were slow to adapt to competitive pressures, our research and development efforts didn’t deliver and some investments the Company made did not perform. We recognise this, and the management team is acting with urgency to earn back the confidence of shareholders through results.

Mr McNamee said the company’s core markets remained attractive, and the business was resilient and delivering strong cash flows.

He said the strategy was to invest in the core of the plasma business, “with selective investment beyond that”.

He added:

The industry fundamentals remain attractive. Plasma is a structurally stable therapeutic area, with durable demand and significant unmet patient need. CSL also maintains strength in influenza vaccines through the Seqirus business.

Mr McNamee said the board was encouraged by the early positive results of changes implemented by the management team.

He said the company needed to focus on stronger execution and adapt more rapidly as markets evolve.

Mr McNamee said the search for a new Chief Executive Officer was well-advanced, and in the meantime interim CEO Gordon Naylor was positioning the company for the next phase of growth.

CSL shares were 1 cent lower at $174.40 on Thursday. The shares have traded as low as $90 over the past year and as high as $222.47.

CSL shares looking like a good buy

Brokers are currently positive on the outlook for CSL following the company’s August results release.

RBC Capital Markets this week upgraded the company to an outperform rating with a $213 price target.

The broker said they now believed that “growth in the Behring business can offset the weak outlook in the Seqirus and Vifor business, and enable the company to deliver mid-single digit EPS growth for the next 3 years”.

The company is valued at $83.7 billion. The AGM will be held on Tuesday 27 October.

The post CSL acknowledges “disappointing” results but aims to do better appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has positions in CSL. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Retiring at 60 would sound pretty good to me.

But finishing work earlier means my superannuation may need to support me for a long time.

So, how large would I want my balance to be before calling it a day?

Start with the lifestyle I want

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) provides a helpful starting point.

Its latest Retirement Standard estimates that a single homeowner aged 65 to 84 needs around $56,166 a year for a comfortable retirement. For a couple, the figure is approximately $78,998 a year.

That comfortable lifestyle includes things such as private health insurance, regular leisure activities, meals out, maintaining a car, home repairs, and occasional travel.

Of course, my own spending could be higher or lower.

But I think those figures provide a sensible benchmark for thinking about how much income my super may need to provide.

Retiring at 60 changes the numbers

ASFA estimates that a single homeowner needs around $630,000 in super to fund a comfortable retirement from age 67. A couple needs around $730,000 combined.

The important part is the age.

Those figures assume retirement at 67, whereas I am looking at stopping work seven years earlier.

Age Pension eligibility also currently begins at 67, subject to the relevant income, asset, and residency rules.

That means someone retiring at 60 may need to fund several additional years before any potential Age Pension support begins.

For people born from 1 July 1964, 60 is also the current preservation age for superannuation, although a condition of release still needs to be met before the money can generally be accessed.

How much would I want?

If I were a single homeowner aiming for something close to ASFA’s comfortable lifestyle, I would personally want around $900,000 in super before retiring at 60.

That is not an official ASFA target.

It simply gives me more room to fund those extra seven years while leaving plenty of capital invested for later in retirement.

For a couple, I would be thinking closer to $1.1 million combined, depending on our expected spending and other assets.

I would not treat either figure as a magic number. Someone with inexpensive hobbies, a paid-off home, and modest travel plans may be comfortable with less. Someone planning regular overseas holidays or helping family financially may want considerably more.

I would keep investing after retirement

I would also want my superannuation to continue growing after I stopped working.

At 60, retirement could still last 30 years or more.

That is too long for me to become entirely focused on cash and defensive investments like bonds.

I would still want exposure to Australian and international shares, alongside enough defensive assets to cover spending without being forced to sell shares during a market downturn.

Investment returns could then help offset some withdrawals and give the balance a better chance of keeping up with inflation.

Foolish takeaway

If I planned to retire at 60, I would personally aim for around $900,000 in superannuation as a single homeowner, rather than relying on the age-67 benchmark of $630,000.

Retiring seven years earlier creates a larger job for the portfolio.

For me, having that extra buffer would provide more flexibility around spending, market downturns, and the possibility of a retirement lasting several decades.

The post How much superannuation would I want if I planned to retire at 60? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.