Blue Trust Inc. Buys 79 Shares of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI)

Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI) by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,428 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Armstrong World Industries were worth $188,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 7.3% during the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,875 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $772,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries during the third quarter valued at $171,000. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 3.7% during the third quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC now owns 7,370 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $969,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 7.3% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,079 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. 98.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Armstrong World Industries Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:AWI opened at $136.19 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.60, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.76. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $130.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.96. Armstrong World Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.30 and a 52-week high of $142.33.

Armstrong World Industries (NYSE:AWI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The construction company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.07. Armstrong World Industries had a return on equity of 41.53% and a net margin of 17.92%. The firm had revenue of $365.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $360.36 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Armstrong World Industries, Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Armstrong World Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 7th will be given a dividend of $0.308 per share. This is a boost from Armstrong World Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 7th. Armstrong World Industries’s payout ratio is presently 21.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on AWI. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Armstrong World Industries from $119.00 to $127.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Armstrong World Industries from $131.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Armstrong World Industries from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com raised Armstrong World Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Armstrong World Industries from $122.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.00.

Armstrong World Industries Profile

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.