Rice Hall James & Associates LLC Buys New Position in Armstrong World Industries, Inc. $AWI

Rice Hall James & Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 177,147 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,418,000. Armstrong World Industries accounts for about 1.4% of Rice Hall James & Associates LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 571.7% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 117,696 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $16,581,000 after acquiring an additional 100,175 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Armstrong World Industries by 142.0% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,061 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $431,000 after acquiring an additional 1,796 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Armstrong World Industries by 63.3% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 125,181 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $17,636,000 after acquiring an additional 48,544 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in Armstrong World Industries by 144.2% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 70,136 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $9,881,000 after purchasing an additional 41,417 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Armstrong World Industries during the second quarter valued at about $291,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.93% of the company’s stock.

Armstrong World Industries Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE AWI opened at $179.44 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $7.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.16. Armstrong World Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $150.28 and a fifty-two week high of $206.08. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $164.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.52.

Armstrong World Industries (NYSE:AWI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The construction company reported $2.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $472.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $461.67 million. Armstrong World Industries had a return on equity of 37.35% and a net margin of 18.60%.The business’s revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.09 earnings per share. Armstrong World Industries has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.300-8.500 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Armstrong World Industries, Inc. will post 8.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Armstrong World Industries announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, July 21st that authorizes the company to repurchase $800.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to purchase up to 12.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Armstrong World Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 5th will be given a dividend of $0.339 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 5th. Armstrong World Industries’s payout ratio is presently 18.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on AWI shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $203.00 target price on shares of Armstrong World Industries in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Armstrong World Industries in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $216.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Armstrong World Industries in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Armstrong World Industries from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $213.00.

Armstrong World Industries Profile

Armstrong World Industries, Inc is a leading global manufacturer of commercial ceiling and wall solutions. The company offers a diverse portfolio of acoustical, decorative and specialty ceiling systems designed to enhance interior environments in offices, healthcare facilities, schools, retail outlets and other non-residential settings. Through its focus on performance, aesthetics and sustainability, Armstrong World Industries addresses both functional and design requirements for architects, contractors and building owners.

Armstrong’s product range includes mineral fiber, fiberglass, wood wool, metal and stone wool ceiling panels, as well as suspension and grid systems.