Gabelli Funds LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in AZZ Inc. $AZZ

Gabelli Funds LLC lowered its stake in shares of AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 216,023 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 6,795 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in AZZ were worth $23,575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in shares of AZZ by 206.7% in the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 273 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the period. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in AZZ during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new stake in AZZ in the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in AZZ by 40.1% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 458 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in AZZ by 1,145.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 934 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AZZ. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AZZ in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $125.00 price objective on AZZ in a report on Friday, January 9th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price on shares of AZZ in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut AZZ from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Noble Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AZZ in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.00.

Insider Transactions at AZZ

In related news, insider Tara D. Mackey sold 2,923 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.00, for a total transaction of $397,528.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,042,728. The trade was a 11.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Thomas E. Ferguson sold 25,000 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 33,281 shares of company stock valued at $4,239,080. Company insiders own 1.77% of the company’s stock.

AZZ Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of AZZ stock opened at $124.50 on Friday. AZZ Inc. has a 1-year low of $70.90 and a 1-year high of $141.18. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a PE ratio of 11.70 and a beta of 1.11.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $425.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $412.97 million. AZZ had a return on equity of 14.45% and a net margin of 19.89%.AZZ’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.39 EPS. AZZ has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.900-6.200 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AZZ Inc. will post 5.13 earnings per share for the current year.

AZZ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. AZZ’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.52%.

AZZ declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Friday, January 30th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to repurchase up to 2.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

AZZ Company Profile

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.