AZZ Inc. $AZZ Stock Position Boosted by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al boosted its stake in AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) by 86.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 4,300 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in AZZ were worth $997,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AZZ. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its position in AZZ by 222.5% in the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 466,140 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $49,961,000 after buying an additional 321,611 shares in the last quarter. SG Capital Management LLC grew its position in AZZ by 111.3% in the 3rd quarter. SG Capital Management LLC now owns 376,040 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $41,037,000 after buying an additional 198,036 shares in the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc bought a new position in AZZ in the 4th quarter valued at about $18,429,000. Capital International Investors grew its position in AZZ by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,961,247 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $214,031,000 after buying an additional 157,529 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in AZZ by 103.5% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 276,990 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,228,000 after buying an additional 140,877 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.93% of the company’s stock.

AZZ Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AZZ opened at $141.17 on Friday. AZZ Inc. has a twelve month low of $86.67 and a twelve month high of $151.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 1.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $133.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $121.58.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.15. AZZ had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 14.47%. The company had revenue of $385.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $382.24 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.98 EPS. AZZ’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. AZZ has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.500-7.000 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that AZZ Inc. will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AZZ announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Friday, January 30th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to purchase up to 2.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

AZZ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 23rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. AZZ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZZ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Noble Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AZZ in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. B. Riley Financial increased their target price on shares of AZZ from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of AZZ from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $127.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of AZZ from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.80.

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.