AZZ Inc. (AZZ) – What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?

Shares of AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $153.20.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AZZ shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of AZZ from $144.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 17th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of AZZ from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. B. Riley Financial boosted their price target on shares of AZZ from $170.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of AZZ from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th.

AZZ Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of AZZ opened at $130.94 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $135.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.59 and a beta of 1.17. AZZ has a 52 week low of $94.61 and a 52 week high of $162.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.79.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The industrial products company reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $486.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $467.14 million. AZZ had a return on equity of 14.85% and a net margin of 9.59%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.55 earnings per share. AZZ has set its FY 2027 guidance at 7.000-7.300 EPS. On average, analysts predict that AZZ will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current year.

AZZ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 19th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 19th. AZZ’s payout ratio is currently 17.30%.

Insider Activity at AZZ

In other AZZ news, COO Bryan Lee Stovall sold 2,677 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.07, for a total transaction of $401,737.39. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 35,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,252,450. The trade was a 7.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AZZ

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in AZZ in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new position in shares of AZZ during the 2nd quarter worth about $60,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of AZZ during the 2nd quarter worth about $66,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of AZZ in the 2nd quarter valued at about $67,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of AZZ by 143.2% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 462 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. 90.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AZZ

AZZ Inc. provides metal coating services to steel fabricators and other customers. Its services include hot-dip galvanizing, which helps protect steel from corrosion, as well as other coating and finishing processes. The company also operates coil-coating facilities that apply protective and decorative finishes to steel and aluminum products. These materials serve markets including construction, transportation and appliances. AZZ focuses on metal coatings in North America. In 2023, it sold its electrical infrastructure solutions business to Nucor and shifted its focus to its metal-coating operations.