AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $131.95 and last traded at $131.8040, with a volume of 23144 shares. The stock had previously closed at $130.00.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZZ has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AZZ in a report on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $125.00 price target on shares of AZZ in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AZZ has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $117.17.

AZZ Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $115.18 and its 200-day moving average is $110.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $425.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $412.97 million. AZZ had a net margin of 19.89% and a return on equity of 14.45%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.39 EPS. AZZ has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.900-6.200 EPS. On average, analysts predict that AZZ Inc. will post 5.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AZZ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 5th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. AZZ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.52%.

AZZ declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Friday, January 30th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 2.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at AZZ

In other AZZ news, insider Tara D. Mackey sold 2,790 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.64, for a total transaction of $353,325.60. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,296 shares in the company, valued at $3,203,485.44. This trade represents a 9.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas E. Ferguson sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.29, for a total value of $3,182,250.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 158,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,134,986.78. This trade represents a 13.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 30,358 shares of company stock worth $3,841,552 over the last 90 days. 1.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Royce & Associates LP bought a new position in AZZ during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $479,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in AZZ by 184.3% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 361 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of AZZ by 92.5% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 258 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of AZZ by 19.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,710 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $183,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AZZ by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 30,025 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,218,000 after acquiring an additional 2,149 shares in the last quarter. 90.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About AZZ

AZZ Inc, incorporated in 1956 and headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a leading provider of galvanizing and metal finishing solutions alongside electrical equipment and services. The company supports a diverse range of industries—such as energy, infrastructure, heavy equipment and general industrial markets—by delivering corrosion protection and high-performance electrical solutions designed for demanding environments.

AZZ operates two primary business segments. The Global Coatings & Services segment offers hot-dip galvanizing, metal finishing, painting, powder coating and related value-added services to steel fabricators and original equipment manufacturers.