Cooke & Bieler LP Sells 10,130 Shares of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI)

Cooke & Bieler LP lowered its position in shares of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI - Free Report) by 2.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 489,740 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 10,130 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP owned 1.13% of Armstrong World Industries worth $68,995,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 37.9% during the first quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,540 shares of the construction company's stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 973 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 110.1% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 55,585 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $7,831,000 after purchasing an additional 29,131 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 327.3% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,478 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $772,000 after purchasing an additional 4,196 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 22,197 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,127,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,407 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $480,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.93% of the company's stock.

Armstrong World Industries Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of AWI stock traded down $1.65 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $165.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 262,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 274,917. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $158.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $149.24. Armstrong World Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $117.92 and a 52 week high of $170.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.60. The company has a market cap of $7.17 billion, a PE ratio of 26.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.37.

Armstrong World Industries (NYSE:AWI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.11. Armstrong World Industries had a return on equity of 39.37% and a net margin of 18.25%. The firm had revenue of $382.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $370.71 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.38 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Armstrong World Industries, Inc. will post 6.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Armstrong World Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 8th were paid a dividend of $0.308 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 8th. This represents a $1.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Armstrong World Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AWI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Armstrong World Industries in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective on Armstrong World Industries from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their price objective on Armstrong World Industries from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $162.88.

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.