Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Trims Stock Position in Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System decreased its position in Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI) by 0.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,999,503 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $491,551,000 after buying an additional 63,618 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Armstrong World Industries by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,763,167 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $468,315,000 after purchasing an additional 517,699 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,586,551 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $155,991,000 after purchasing an additional 569,824 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,316,653 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $129,453,000 after purchasing an additional 121,586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,120,987 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $110,215,000 after purchasing an additional 16,749 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.93% of the company’s stock.

Armstrong World Industries Stock Down 1.5 %

Armstrong World Industries stock traded down $1.64 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $111.24. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 14,382 shares, compared to its average volume of 331,104. Armstrong World Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $68.35 and a 52-week high of $125.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.22, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $114.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.01.

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

Armstrong World Industries Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Armstrong World Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Armstrong World Industries from $117.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Armstrong World Industries from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.