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

Key Points

• AZZ reached a new 52-week high of $147.33 (last $146.475) on Wednesday; analysts are split but the consensus rating is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $141.80 and individual targets as high as $155.
• The company beat Q1 estimates with EPS of $1.34 versus $1.19 expected and revenue of $385.1M versus $382.24M, and set FY2027 guidance of 6.50–7.00 EPS (analysts’ average forecast ~6.8).
• AZZ authorized a $100M stock buyback (about 2.7% of shares) and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 ($0.80 annual, ~0.5% yield); insiders have sold shares while institutional ownership remains high at ~90.9%.

AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ - Get Free Report)'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 traded. The stock had previously closed at $144.08.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AZZ shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of AZZ from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $127.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AZZ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Noble Financial reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of AZZ in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $152.00 target price on shares of AZZ in a report on Monday, April 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.80.

AZZ Stock Up 1.3%

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.36 billion, a PE ratio of 13.90 and a beta of 1.17. The firm's fifty day moving average is $131.28 and its 200-day moving average is $119.09. 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 (NYSE:AZZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $385.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $382.24 million. AZZ had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 14.47%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. AZZ has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.500-7.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that AZZ Inc. will post 6.8 earnings per share for the current year.

AZZ Dividend Announcement

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

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AZZ news, insider Tara D. Mackey sold 2,923 shares of the company'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 transaction, the insider directly owned 22,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,042,728. This represents a 11.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.77% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of AZZ

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position 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 last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AZZ in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of AZZ in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AZZ by 184.3% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 361 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of AZZ by 55.9% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 382 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. 90.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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