AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) Reaches New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) shares reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $157.48 and last traded at $156.9890, with a volume of 536202 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $152.01.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on AZZ shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of AZZ in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of AZZ from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $127.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of AZZ from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. 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 report on Friday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.00.

AZZ Trading Up 3.3%

The stock has a market cap of $4.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.95 and a beta of 1.13. 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 company’s 50 day simple moving average is $140.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $128.25.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter last year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. AZZ has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.500-7.000 EPS. Research analysts expect that AZZ Inc. will post 6.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AZZ Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 23rd were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 23rd. AZZ’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AZZ

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in AZZ by 92.5% during the fourth 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. bought a new stake in AZZ in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of AZZ during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $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% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 382 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.93% of the company’s stock.

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.