AZZ Inc. $AZZ Stake Lowered 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 holdings in AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ - Free Report) by 0.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 309,543 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,395 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned 1.03% of AZZ worth $25,704,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZZ. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in AZZ by 4.2% during the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 3,606 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in AZZ by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,072 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $252,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in AZZ by 110.0% during the first 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 period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in AZZ by 8.5% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 2,794 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in AZZ by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 3,451 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $283,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the period. 90.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AZZ Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of AZZ traded down $0.5580 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $112.6720. 193,743 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 311,235. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $103.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $93.98. The company has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.06 and a beta of 1.30. AZZ Inc. has a 1-year low of $70.90 and a 1-year high of $117.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

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

AZZ Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 10th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This is a boost from AZZ's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 10th. AZZ's payout ratio is presently 9.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZZ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on AZZ from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded AZZ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. Noble Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of AZZ in a report on Monday, July 14th. Sidoti cut AZZ from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $101.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on AZZ from $90.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AZZ presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Bryan Lee Stovall sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.60, for a total value of $558,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 22,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,534,324.40. The trade was a 18.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Thomas E. Ferguson sold 26,516 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.85, for a total value of $2,939,298.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 183,182 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,305,724.70. This represents a 12.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 46,837 shares of company stock worth $5,195,318 over the last quarter. 1.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About AZZ

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.