Armstrong World Industries Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Results

Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI), an Americas leader in the design and manufacture of innovative interior and exterior architectural applications including ceilings, specialty walls and exterior metal solutions, today reported third-quarter 2026 financial results highlighted by double-digit net sales and adjusted EBITDA growth.

“Strong demand for our broad portfolio of Architectural Specialties solutions and solid Mineral Fiber AUV and volume performance drove another quarter of record top-line results. In relatively stable end market conditions, our growth initiatives continue to enable us to deliver profitable growth ahead of the market,” said AWI President and CEO, Mark Hershey. “Despite rapidly rising inflationary pressures, as well as timing-related mix headwinds impacting Mineral Fiber sales, our teams delivered double-digit adjusted EBITDA growth along with adjusted EBITDA margin expansion in both segments. Across the enterprise, we have responded to accelerating cost pressures, while remaining squarely focused on delivering our updated full-year outlook and advancing our attractive growth initiatives.”

Third-Quarter Consolidated Results

Consolidated net sales for the third quarter of 2026 increased 11.9% from the prior-year quarter due to higher volumes of $35 million and favorable AUV of $16 million. Architectural Specialties net sales increased $33 million and Mineral Fiber net sales increased $18 million from the prior-year quarter. Architectural Specialties segment net sales improved due to a $25 million increase in organic net sales and an $8 million inorganic contribution. Mineral Fiber net sales growth was driven by favorable AUV and an increase in sales volumes.

Consolidated operating income increased 11.9% in the third quarter of 2026 compared to the prior-year period, primarily due to a $13 million margin benefit from sales volume growth, a $9 million margin benefit from favorable AUV and a $4 million increase in equity earnings from the Worthington Armstrong Joint Venture (“WAVE”). These benefits were partially offset by a $10 million increase in manufacturing costs, including input cost inflation, predominantly driven by higher freight and raw material costs, and an inorganic increase from our 2026 and 2025 acquisitions.

Operating and adjusted EBITDA margins in the third quarter of 2026 as compared to the prior-year quarter were pressured by higher input cost inflation, mix headwinds within Mineral Fiber and the ongoing impact of tariffs.

Third-Quarter Segment Results

Mineral Fiber

Mineral Fiber net sales increased $18 million in the third quarter of 2026 compared to the prior-year due to $16 million of favorable AUV and $2 million of higher sales volumes. The improvement in AUV was driven by favorable like-for-like price and, to a lesser extent, favorable mix. The increase in volumes was driven primarily by timing-related demand from our Canadian customers and partially due to benefits from our growth initiatives.

Mineral Fiber operating income increased 7.4% primarily due to a $9 million margin benefit from favorable AUV, a $4 million increase in WAVE equity earnings and a $3 million decrease in selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses, primarily driven by higher incentive compensation expense in the prior-year period. These benefits were partially offset by an $8 million increase in manufacturing costs, primarily driven by freight and raw material inflation.

Architectural Specialties

Third quarter 2026 Architectural Specialties net sales increased $33 million compared to the prior-year quarter due to a $25 million increase in organic net sales driven by strong growth across most of our specialty product categories and an $8 million inorganic contribution.

Architectural Specialties operating income increased 33.7% due to a $9 million margin benefit from higher organic net sales, inclusive of the negative impact of lower project margins related to elevated metal costs. The benefit of increased organic sales was partially offset by a $2 million inorganic impact, primarily driven by SG&A expenses.

Unallocated Corporate

Unallocated Corporate operating loss was $1 million in the third quarter of 2026 and 2025.

Cash Flow

Year-to-date cash flows from operating activities in 2026 decreased $23 million or 10% in comparison to the prior-year period. The unfavorable change in operating cash flows was primarily due to unfavorable timing-related changes in receivables and higher income tax payments, partially offset by favorable timing-related changes in accounts payable and accrued expenses and an increase in net earnings. Year-to-date cash flows used for investing activities increased $52 million in comparison to the prior-year period. The unfavorable change in investing cash flows was primarily due to cash paid for the acquisition of Eventscape, partially offset by an increase in dividends from WAVE.

Share Repurchase Program

In the third quarter of 2026, the Company repurchased 0.4 million shares of common stock for a total cost of $75 million, excluding the cost of commissions and taxes, at an average price of $174.36 per share. As of September 30, 2026, there was $1.1 billion remaining under the existing authorized share repurchase program**.

Updating 2026 Outlook

“We delivered double-digit growth in both net sales and adjusted EBITDA for the total company in the third quarter, with adjusted EBITDA margin expansion in both segments despite ongoing input cost and tariff pressures,” said Chris Calzaretta, AWI Senior Vice President and CFO. “Our updated outlook for 2026 reflects an increase in organic Architectural Specialties net sales, the impact of accelerating costs for both segments, net of mitigation efforts, as well as mix headwinds in Mineral Fiber and softer contributions from recent acquisitions. We expect to deliver strong full-year growth across all key metrics, demonstrating our resilient business model, focus on operational efficiency, and disciplined approach to capital allocation, all of which position us well for continued shareholder value creation.”

Earnings Webcast

Management will host a live webcast conference call at 10:00 a.m. ET today, to discuss third-quarter 2026 results. This event will be available on the Company’s website. The call and accompanying slide presentation can be found on the investor relations section of the Company’s website at www.armstrong.com. The replay of this event will be available on the website for up to one year after the date of the call.

Uncertainties Affecting Forward-Looking Statements

Disclosures in this release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including without limitation, those relating to future financial and operational results, market and broader economic conditions and guidance. Those statements provide our future expectations or forecasts and can be identified by our use of words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “position,” “deliver,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “outlook,” “target,” “predict,” “mitigate,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “seek,” and other words or phrases of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. This includes annual guidance. Forward-looking statements, by their nature, address matters that are uncertain and involve risks because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. As a result, our actual results may differ materially from our expected results and from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. A more detailed discussion of the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied is included in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” sections of our reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including our quarterly report for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, that the Company expects to file with the SEC today. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements beyond what is required under applicable securities law.

About Armstrong and Additional Information

Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (AWI) is an Americas leader in the design and manufacture of innovative interior and exterior architectural applications including ceilings, specialty walls and exterior metal solutions. For more than 165 years, Armstrong has delivered products and capabilities that enable architects, designers and contractors to transform building design and construction with elevated aesthetics, acoustics and sustainable attributes. With $1.6 billion in revenue in 2025, AWI has approximately 4,100 employees and a manufacturing network of 24 facilities, plus seven facilities dedicated to its WAVE joint venture.

More details on the Company’s performance can be found in its report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2026 that the Company expects to file with the SEC today.

Supplemental Reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP Results (unaudited)

(Amounts in millions, except per share data)

To supplement its consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), the Company provides additional measures of performance adjusted to exclude the impact of certain discrete expenses and income including adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (“EBITDA”), adjusted diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) and adjusted free cash flow. Investors should not consider non-GAAP measures as a substitute for GAAP measures. The Company excludes certain acquisition-related expenses (i.e. impact of adjustments related to the fair value of inventory, third-party professional fees and changes in the fair value of contingent consideration for acquisitions). The Company also excludes all acquisition-related intangible amortization from adjusted net earnings and in calculations of adjusted diluted EPS. Examples of other excluded items have included plant closures, restructuring charges and related costs, separation costs and other cost reduction initiatives, environmental site expenses and environmental insurance recoveries, endowment level charitable contributions, the impact of defined benefit plan settlements, gains and losses on sales or impairment of fixed assets, and certain other gains and losses. The Company also excludes income/expense from its U.S. Retirement Income Plan (“RIP”) in the non-GAAP results as it represents the actuarial net periodic benefit credit/cost recorded. For all periods presented, the Company was not required and did not make cash contributions to the RIP based on guidelines established by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, nor does the Company expect to make cash contributions to the plan in 2026. Adjusted free cash flow is defined as cash from operating and investing activities, adjusted to remove the impact of cash used or proceeds received for acquisitions and divestitures, environmental site expenses and environmental insurance recoveries. Management’s adjusted free cash flow measure includes returns of investment from WAVE and cash proceeds received from the settlement of company-owned life insurance policies, which are presented within investing activities on our condensed consolidated statement of cash flows. The Company uses these adjusted performance measures in managing the business, including communications with its Board of Directors and employees, and believes that they provide users of this financial information with meaningful comparisons of operating performance between current results and results in prior periods. The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are appropriate to enhance understanding of its past performance, as well as prospects for its future performance. The Company also uses adjusted EBITDA and adjusted free cash flow (with further adjustments, when necessary) as factors in determining at-risk compensation for senior management. These non-GAAP measures may not be defined and calculated the same as similar measures used by other companies. Non-GAAP financial measures utilized by the Company may not be comparable to non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. A reconciliation of these adjustments to the most directly comparable GAAP measures is included in this release and on the Company’s website. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the most comparable GAAP measures.

In the following charts, numbers may not sum due to rounding. Excluding adjusted diluted EPS, non-GAAP figures are rounded to the nearest million and corresponding percentages are rounded to the nearest decimal based on unrounded figures. Basis point changes are calculated based on unrounded margin percentages and rounded to the nearest ten basis points.

Consolidated Results – Adjusted EBITDA

Mineral Fiber

Architectural Specialties

Unallocated Corporate

Consolidated Results – Adjusted Free Cash Flow

Consolidated Results – Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS)

Adjusted EBITDA Guidance

Adjusted Diluted Net Earnings Per Share Guidance

Adjusted Free Cash Flow Guidance

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