Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI) Shares Sold by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System cut its position in Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI) by 0.7% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 19,336 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 137 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Armstrong World Industries were worth $2,201,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWI. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 25.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 620 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its position in Armstrong World Industries by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 4,291 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Armstrong World Industries in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Simplicity Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 4,923 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $484,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.93% of the company’s stock.

Armstrong World Industries Price Performance

Shares of AWI traded down $1.64 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $111.24. The company had a trading volume of 14,382 shares, compared to its average volume of 331,104. The company has a market capitalization of $4.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.22, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.14. Armstrong World Industries, Inc. has a 12-month low of $68.35 and a 12-month high of $125.56. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $114.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $112.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Armstrong World Industries (NYSE:AWI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $326.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $319.44 million. Armstrong World Industries had a return on equity of 41.81% and a net margin of 18.03%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.12 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Armstrong World Industries, Inc. will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Armstrong World Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 9th were issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 8th. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Armstrong World Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AWI. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Armstrong World Industries from $117.00 to $119.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their target price on Armstrong World Industries from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Armstrong World Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Armstrong World Industries has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.17.

About Armstrong World Industries

Armstrong World Industries, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of ceiling and wall solutions in the Americas. It operates through Mineral Fiber and Architectural Specialties segments. The company offers mineral fiber, fiberglass wool, metal, wood, felt, wood fiber, and glass-reinforced-gypsum; ceiling component products, such as ceiling perimeters and trims, as well as grid products that support drywall ceiling systems; ceilings, walls, and facades for use in commercial settings; and manufactures ceiling suspension system (grid) products.