AZZ Inc. $AZZ Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) by 2.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 167,293 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,413 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in AZZ were worth $20,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in AZZ by 92.5% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 258 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AZZ in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AZZ in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of AZZ by 184.3% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 361 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of AZZ by 55.9% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 382 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. 90.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AZZ Price Performance

AZZ stock opened at $150.34 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $146.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.54. AZZ Inc. has a 12-month low of $92.98 and a 12-month high of $162.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a PE ratio of 22.92 and a beta of 1.11.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 8th. The industrial products company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $448.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $434.58 million. AZZ had a return on equity of 14.18% and a net margin of 11.83%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. AZZ has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.750-7.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that AZZ Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

AZZ Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This is a positive change from AZZ’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. AZZ’s payout ratio is 14.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZZ has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AZZ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of AZZ from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $152.00 price target on shares of AZZ in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on AZZ from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, B. Riley Financial lifted their price objective on AZZ from $169.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AZZ presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.25.

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.