Hodges Capital Management Inc. Acquires 7,085 Shares of AZZ Inc. $AZZ

Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) by 44.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 22,935 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,085 shares during the period. Hodges Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in AZZ were worth $2,458,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of AZZ by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 15,737 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,687,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in shares of AZZ by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 26,220 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,810,000 after buying an additional 1,060 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of AZZ by 40.6% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 4,872 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $522,000 after buying an additional 1,406 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of AZZ by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 10,593 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,135,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of AZZ by 307.5% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,466 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,015,000 after buying an additional 7,143 shares during the last quarter. 90.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AZZ Price Performance

Shares of AZZ opened at $140.67 on Thursday. AZZ Inc. has a 1 year low of $86.67 and a 1 year high of $151.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The company has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.40 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $138.40 and a 200-day moving average of $126.60.

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

AZZ Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AZZ. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of AZZ in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded 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. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $152.00 target price on shares of AZZ in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, B. Riley Financial increased their target price on AZZ from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AZZ presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.00.

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.