AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) Shares Acquired by Squarepoint Ops LLC

Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ - Free Report) by 51.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,180 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 11,207 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.11% of AZZ worth $2,718,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZZ. Smith Group Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AZZ in the fourth quarter worth $509,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in AZZ by 36.3% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 4,379 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $359,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166 shares during the last quarter. Wakefield Asset Management LLLP acquired a new stake in AZZ during the 4th quarter worth about $1,008,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its position in AZZ by 151.9% during the 4th quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 20,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,654,000 after purchasing an additional 12,178 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AZZ by 202.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 475 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 318 shares during the last quarter. 90.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AZZ Price Performance

NYSE AZZ traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $90.56. The stock had a trading volume of 215,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 222,424. AZZ Inc. has a twelve month low of $69.59 and a twelve month high of $99.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The firm's 50 day moving average is $86.00 and its 200 day moving average is $88.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.19, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.25.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $351.88 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $367.78 million. AZZ had a net margin of 7.94% and a return on equity of 16.99%. Equities research analysts forecast that AZZ Inc. will post 5.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AZZ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 24th were paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 24th. AZZ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AZZ. Noble Financial reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of AZZ in a report on Thursday, March 6th. B. Riley upped their price target on AZZ from $99.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Roth Mkm initiated coverage on AZZ in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $108.00 price objective on the stock. Sidoti raised AZZ from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $101.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Roth Capital raised shares of AZZ to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $100.71.

Insider Activity at AZZ

In other news, CEO Thomas E. Ferguson sold 26,889 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.88, for a total value of $2,309,227.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,458 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,160,013.04. The trade was a 11.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.