Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Takes $2.12 Million Position in AZZ Inc. $AZZ

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 19,782 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,120,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in AZZ by 111.3% during the third quarter. SG Capital Management LLC now owns 376,040 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $41,037,000 after purchasing an additional 198,036 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in shares of AZZ by 8.7% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,961,247 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $214,031,000 after buying an additional 157,529 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AZZ in the third quarter worth $16,360,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AZZ during the 3rd quarter worth $15,772,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of AZZ by 103.5% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 276,990 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,228,000 after buying an additional 140,877 shares during the period. 90.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AZZ Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of AZZ stock opened at $121.27 on Tuesday. 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 $128.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.54. The company has a market cap of $3.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.40 and a beta of 1.11. 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 issued its quarterly 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 firm 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 business’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.39 EPS. AZZ has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.900-6.200 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AZZ Inc. will post 5.13 EPS for the current year.

AZZ Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. AZZ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.52%.

AZZ declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Friday, January 30th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to purchase up to 2.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZZ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Noble Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AZZ in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target on shares of AZZ in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded AZZ from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $127.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AZZ in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Thomas E. Ferguson sold 25,000 shares of AZZ stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.29, for a total transaction of $3,182,250.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 158,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,134,986.78. This trade represents a 13.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Tara D. Mackey sold 2,923 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.00, for a total value of $397,528.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 22,373 shares in the company, valued at $3,042,728. This represents a 11.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 33,281 shares of company stock valued at $4,239,080. 1.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AZZ 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.