AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $147.33 and last traded at $146.4750, with a volume of 1936 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.08.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZZ has been the topic of several analyst reports. Noble Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AZZ in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. B. Riley Financial lifted their price target 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 lifted their price target on shares of AZZ from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of AZZ from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $152.00 price target on shares of AZZ in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.80.

AZZ Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $131.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $119.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.90 and a beta of 1.17.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $385.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $382.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. AZZ has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.500-7.000 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that AZZ Inc. will post 6.8 earnings per share for the current year.

AZZ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 23rd. AZZ’s payout ratio is presently 7.62%.

AZZ declared that its board has initiated 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 generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at AZZ

In other AZZ news, insider Tara D. Mackey sold 2,923 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.00, for a total transaction of $397,528.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,042,728. The trade was a 11.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in AZZ by 92.5% during the 4th 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. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AZZ during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of AZZ during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AZZ by 184.3% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 361 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of AZZ by 55.9% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 382 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. 90.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AZZ

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.