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

AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $131.95 and last traded at $131.8040, with a volume of 23144 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $130.00.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AZZ shares. Wall Street Zen raised AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AZZ in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $125.00 price target on AZZ in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.17.

AZZ Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $115.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $110.26. The stock has a market cap of $3.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 1.13.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.09. AZZ had a net margin of 19.89% and a return on equity of 14.45%. The company had revenue of $425.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $412.97 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.39 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. AZZ has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.900-6.200 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AZZ Inc. will post 5.13 earnings per share for the current year.

AZZ Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 5th. AZZ’s dividend payout ratio is 7.52%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at AZZ

In other AZZ news, insider Tara D. Mackey sold 2,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.64, for a total transaction of $353,325.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 25,296 shares in the company, valued at $3,203,485.44. This represents a 9.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas E. Ferguson sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.29, for a total transaction of $3,182,250.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 158,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,134,986.78. This represents a 13.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 30,358 shares of company stock valued at $3,841,552 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AZZ. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of AZZ by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 12,619 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,055,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AZZ by 26.2% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,213 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $519,000 after purchasing an additional 1,290 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of AZZ by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,488 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after acquiring an additional 771 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in AZZ by 21.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 84,076 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,030,000 after buying an additional 14,965 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in AZZ by 185.9% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 51,122 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,274,000 after buying an additional 33,238 shares during the last quarter. 90.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.