Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $140.83.

AWI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Armstrong World Industries from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $127.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Loop Capital raised their target price on Armstrong World Industries from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Armstrong World Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday.

Armstrong World Industries Stock Up 0.0 %

AWI stock opened at $148.06 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $150.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.89. The company has a market capitalization of $6.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Armstrong World Industries has a 12 month low of $96.69 and a 12 month high of $164.40.

Armstrong World Industries (NYSE:AWI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Armstrong World Industries had a net margin of 17.95% and a return on equity of 40.67%. The business had revenue of $386.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $386.69 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.60 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Armstrong World Industries will post 6.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Armstrong World Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 7th were given a dividend of $0.308 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 7th. This represents a $1.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. This is a positive change from Armstrong World Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Armstrong World Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.69%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Armstrong World Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AWI. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its stake in Armstrong World Industries by 171.0% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 125,951 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $14,263,000 after buying an additional 79,475 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Armstrong World Industries by 27.8% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 312,475 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,385,000 after buying an additional 67,954 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 16.0% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 492,113 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $64,678,000 after acquiring an additional 67,798 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Armstrong World Industries by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,454,150 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $191,119,000 after purchasing an additional 51,839 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Armstrong World Industries by 252.5% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 55,078 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,237,000 after acquiring an additional 39,452 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.93% of the company’s stock.

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.