Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI) was upgraded by investment analysts at BB&T Corp. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports. The brokerage currently has a $50.00 price target on the stock. BB&T Corp.’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 31.79% from the company’s previous close. The analysts noted that the move was a valuation call.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on AWI. Goldman Sachs started coverage on shares of Armstrong World Industries in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Armstrong World Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Macquarie dropped their price target on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $68.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, RBC Capital reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $53.00 price target (down previously from $60.00) on shares of Armstrong World Industries in a research note on Friday, October 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $56.30.

A number of institutional investors have modified their holdings of AWI. ING Groep acquired a new position in shares of Armstrong World Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,943,000. Skylands Capital raised its stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Skylands Capital now owns 23,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,084,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. New England Research & Management purchased a new stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries during the fourth quarter worth $755,000. Fox Run Management purchased a new stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries during the fourth quarter worth $329,000. Finally, Quantitative Systematic Strategies purchased a new stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries during the fourth quarter worth $302,000.

Shares of Armstrong World Industries (NYSE:AWI) traded up 2.21% during trading on Wednesday, reaching $38.78. 299,149 shares of the company were exchanged. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.15 billion and a P/E ratio of 20.78. Armstrong World Industries has a 1-year low of $36.48 and a 1-year high of $60.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $42.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $50.22.

Armstrong World Industries (NYSE:AWI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.06. The business earned $658.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $674.53 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Armstrong World Industries will post $2.30 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Armstrong World Industries, Inc. is a producer of flooring products and ceiling systems for use in the construction and renovation of residential, commercial and institutional buildings. The Company operates in four segments: Building Products, which produces suspended mineral fiber, soft fiber and metal ceiling systems for use in commercial, institutional and residential settings; Resilient Flooring, which produces and sources a range of floor coverings for homes and commercial and institutional buildings and Wood Flooring segment produces and sources wood flooring products for use in new residential construction and renovation, with commercial applications in stores, restaurants and high-end offices. Its brands include Armstrong, Alterna, BBT, BioBased Tile, BioGuard, Bruce, Cirrus, Dune, Excelon, Huiyi, Imperial, Initiator, Laurel, Luxe Plank, Medintech, MetalWorks, Optima, Perla, Plano, Stonetex, Station Square, ToughGuard, Ultima and WoodWorks, among others.

12 Month Chart for NYSE:AWI

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