Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Sells 136,194 Shares of AZZ Inc. $AZZ

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL cut its position in AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) by 27.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 363,371 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 136,194 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned approximately 1.22% of AZZ worth $45,469,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SEB Asset Management AB purchased a new stake in shares of AZZ during the first quarter valued at approximately $45,297,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in AZZ by 222.5% in the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 466,140 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $49,961,000 after acquiring an additional 321,611 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in AZZ by 861.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 315,485 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,814,000 after acquiring an additional 282,676 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in AZZ by 93.2% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 549,291 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $58,873,000 after acquiring an additional 264,956 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aberdeen Group plc bought a new position in AZZ in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $18,429,000. Institutional investors own 90.93% of the company’s stock.

AZZ Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of AZZ stock opened at $150.20 on Friday. AZZ Inc. has a twelve month low of $92.98 and a twelve month high of $162.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company’s 50 day moving average is $146.52 and its 200 day moving average is $136.25. The company has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.90 and a beta of 1.11.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last posted its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $448.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $434.58 million. AZZ had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 14.18%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. AZZ has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.750-7.150 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that AZZ Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

AZZ Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. This is an increase from AZZ’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. AZZ’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on AZZ shares. Wall Street Zen lowered AZZ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $152.00 price target on shares of AZZ in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on AZZ from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings cut AZZ from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, B. Riley Financial lifted their price objective on AZZ from $169.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.25.

AZZ Company 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.