AZZ Inc. $AZZ Shares Sold by Gabelli Funds LLC

Gabelli Funds LLC lessened its position in AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 204,846 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 11,177 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in AZZ were worth $21,955,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ARS Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of AZZ by 62.9% in the 4th quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC now owns 3,443 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $369,000 after acquiring an additional 1,329 shares during the period. Convergence Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of AZZ by 48.6% in the 4th quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 13,613 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,459,000 after acquiring an additional 4,451 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted 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 worth $738,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lifted its stake in shares of AZZ by 86.0% in the 4th quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 9,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $997,000 after acquiring an additional 4,300 shares during the period. Finally, Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of AZZ in the 4th quarter worth $686,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.93% of the company’s stock.

AZZ Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE AZZ opened at $139.89 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. AZZ Inc. has a 52 week low of $86.67 and a 52 week high of $151.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $133.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.32 and a beta of 1.17.

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

AZZ Announces Dividend

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

AZZ declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Friday, January 30th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 2.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on AZZ. B. Riley Financial raised their target price on shares of AZZ from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. 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 note on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of AZZ from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Noble Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AZZ in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.