Principal Financial Group Inc. Trims Holdings in AZZ Inc. $AZZ

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) by 2.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 167,293 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,413 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.56% of AZZ worth $20,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lido Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AZZ by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 2,633 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of AZZ by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 6,882 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $738,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of AZZ by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 10,593 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,135,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of AZZ by 55.9% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 382 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. 90.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AZZ from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. B. Riley Financial raised their target price on shares of AZZ from $169.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AZZ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of AZZ from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on AZZ from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.25.

AZZ Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AZZ opened at $150.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.92 and a beta of 1.11. AZZ Inc. has a one year low of $92.98 and a one year high of $162.20. The company’s fifty day moving average is $146.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.92.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 8th. The industrial products company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.05. AZZ had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 14.18%. The business had revenue of $448.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $434.58 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. AZZ has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.750-7.150 EPS. Analysts forecast that AZZ Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AZZ Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This is an increase from AZZ’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. AZZ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.63%.

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.