Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 80,099 Shares of AZZ Inc. $AZZ

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in AZZ by 2.4% in Q4, buying an additional 80,099 shares to hold 3,357,370 shares (11.24% of the company) valued at about $359.8 million.
• AZZ topped Q earnings expectations with $1.34 EPS vs. $1.19 est. and revenue up 9.4% year-over-year, while the company issued FY2027 guidance of 6.50–7.00 EPS and authorized a $100 million share buyback (about 2.7% of shares).
• Insider Tara D. Mackey sold 2,923 shares (an 11.56% reduction), and analysts are split—AZZ has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a mean price target of $141.80 as the stock trades near its 52-week high.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ - Free Report) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,357,370 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 80,099 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.24% of AZZ worth $359,843,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZZ. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in AZZ in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Assetmark Inc. bought a new position in AZZ during the third quarter valued at about $46,000. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in AZZ by 56.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 428 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its position in AZZ by 219.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 435 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in AZZ by 40.1% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 458 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. 90.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Tara D. Mackey sold 2,923 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.00, for a total value of $397,528.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 22,373 shares in the company, valued at $3,042,728. The trade was a 11.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZZ has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of AZZ from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $132.00 in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $152.00 target price on shares of AZZ in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen cut AZZ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of AZZ from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Noble Financial restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AZZ in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $141.80.

AZZ Stock Performance

AZZ stock opened at $146.76 on Thursday. AZZ Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $86.67 and a fifty-two week high of $147.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.70. The stock has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.98 and a beta of 1.17. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $131.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.43.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. AZZ had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 14.47%. The company had revenue of $385.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $382.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.98 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. AZZ has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.500-7.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that AZZ Inc. will post 6.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AZZ announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Friday, January 30th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to purchase up to 2.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

AZZ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 23rd. AZZ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.62%.

AZZ 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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