AZZ Inc. $AZZ Shares Sold by Boston Partners

Key Points

• Boston Partners reduced its stake in AZZ Inc. by 0.8%, owning 309,543 shares valued at approximately $25.7 million at the end of the reporting period.
• AZZ's dividend increased to $0.20 per share from the previous $0.17, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders.
• Multiple analysts have recently updated their ratings and price targets for AZZ, with a consensus price target of $110.86 and an overall rating of "Moderate Buy."

Boston Partners lowered its stake in AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 309,543 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,395 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned about 1.03% of AZZ worth $25,704,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZZ. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of AZZ by 110.0% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 399 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its holdings in AZZ by 2,150.0% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 855 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in AZZ by 1,121.3% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 977 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 897 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in AZZ by 140.1% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,095 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 639 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in AZZ by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,298 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at AZZ

In related news, insider Kurt L. Russell sold 10,321 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.21, for a total transaction of $1,158,119.41. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,804 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,885,576.84. This represents a 38.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Thomas E. Ferguson sold 26,516 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.85, for a total transaction of $2,939,298.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 183,182 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,305,724.70. The trade was a 12.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 46,837 shares of company stock valued at $5,195,318 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.77% of the company's stock.

AZZ Stock Up 0.7%

NYSE:AZZ traded up $0.79 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $114.02. 26,696 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 264,265. AZZ Inc. has a 12-month low of $70.90 and a 12-month high of $117.35. The business has a 50-day moving average of $103.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $93.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a PE ratio of 13.19 and a beta of 1.30.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 9th. The industrial products company reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.19. AZZ had a net margin of 16.40% and a return on equity of 15.54%. The company had revenue of $421,962 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $435.91 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. AZZ's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. AZZ has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.750-6.250 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that AZZ Inc. will post 5.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AZZ Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 10th. This is a positive change from AZZ's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. AZZ's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZZ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Noble Financial restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AZZ in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of AZZ to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of AZZ from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of AZZ from $90.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of AZZ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.29.

AZZ Company Profile

AZZ Inc provides hot-dip galvanizing and coil coating solutions in North America. It offers metal finishing solutions for corrosion protection, including hot-dip galvanizing, spin galvanizing, powder coating, anodizing, and plating to steel fabrication and other industries, as well as to fabricators or manufacturers that provide services to the transmission and distribution, bridge and highway, petrochemical, and general industrial markets; and original equipment manufacturers.