MELBOURNE -- Building materials maker James Hardie Industries NV reported a sharp jump in fourth quarter profit, at the top end of market forecasts, and rewarded shareholders with a $91 million capital return.
James Hardie, with most of its sales in the United States, reported a net profit of $29.3 million for the 2001/02 year, with a dramatic jump in fourth quarter profit to $15.2 million from $300,000 a year ago built on its key U.S. fiber cement business.