AZZ Inc. $AZZ Shares Sold by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors reduced its AZZ stake by 7.8% in the first quarter, selling 11,657 shares and retaining 137,968 shares valued at approximately $17.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.93% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with AZZ carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $155.25. Recent targets range from $144 to $170.
• AZZ exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $1.85 in EPS and $448.5 million in revenue, while revenue increased 6.3% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.24, or $0.96 annually.

Pacer Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ - Free Report) by 7.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 137,968 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 11,657 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.46% of AZZ worth $17,264,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AZZ. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in AZZ by 92.5% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 258 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in AZZ in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in AZZ during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in AZZ by 184.3% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 361 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.93% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AZZ. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AZZ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Weiss Ratings lowered AZZ from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. B. Riley Financial upped their price target on AZZ from $169.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on AZZ from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $152.00 price target on shares of AZZ in a report on Monday, April 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $155.25.

AZZ Trading Up 2.3%

NYSE:AZZ opened at $152.65 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day moving average is $147.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.59 billion, a PE ratio of 23.27 and a beta of 1.12. AZZ Inc. has a 12 month low of $92.98 and a 12 month high of $162.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.39.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 8th. The industrial products company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.05. AZZ had a return on equity of 14.18% and a net margin of 11.83%.The company had revenue of $448.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $434.58 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.78 earnings per share. The company'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. Research analysts predict that AZZ Inc. will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AZZ Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from AZZ's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. AZZ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.63%.

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.

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