Comerica Bank Boosts Holdings in AZZ Inc. $AZZ

Comerica Bank boosted its position in AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) by 39.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 12,683 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,604 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank’s holdings in AZZ were worth $1,359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in AZZ in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Assetmark Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AZZ during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of AZZ by 56.8% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 428 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of AZZ by 219.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 435 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AZZ by 40.1% during the 3rd 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 currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AZZ Price Performance

Shares of AZZ stock opened at $147.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $131.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $119.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.07 and a beta of 1.17. AZZ Inc. has a one year low of $86.67 and a one year high of $149.71.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $385.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $382.24 million. AZZ had a return on equity of 14.47% and a net margin of 19.23%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.98 EPS. AZZ has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.500-7.000 EPS. Analysts forecast that AZZ Inc. will post 6.78 EPS for the current year.

AZZ declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Friday, January 30th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to repurchase up to 2.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

AZZ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 23rd will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 23rd. AZZ’s payout ratio is 7.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AZZ news, insider Tara D. Mackey sold 2,923 shares of AZZ 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 22,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,042,728. The trade was a 11.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZZ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Noble Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AZZ in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on AZZ from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $152.00 price target on shares of AZZ in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded AZZ from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $127.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, B. Riley Financial lifted their price target on AZZ from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.80.

About AZZ

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.