AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $128.18 and last traded at $127.59, with a volume of 32718 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $124.29.

Key Stories Impacting AZZ

Here are the key news stories impacting AZZ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a $100 million share repurchase program (about 2.7% of shares) and the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 (annualized $0.80). These capital-return actions are supportive of the share price by returning cash and signaling management confidence. MarketBeat AZZ Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Wall‑street consensus remains constructive: brokerages give AZZ a “Moderate Buy” rating, which provides some analyst support beneath the stock. Brokerage Consensus
• Neutral Sentiment: Leadership change announced in the Metal Coatings division (operational leadership transition). This could be a modest near‑term distraction but is not presented as a restructuring or financial risk. Leadership Transition
• Neutral Sentiment: Heightened investor attention (search and coverage) has increased information flow around the name, which can amplify moves but does not by itself change fundamentals. Zacks Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: AZZ issued FY‑2027 guidance below street expectations: EPS guidance of $6.50–$7.00 (street ~$6.83) and revenue guidance of $1.7B–$1.8B (street ~$1.8B). The EPS midpoint is slightly under consensus and revenue guidance leaves little upside, which is the primary driver of today’s weakness. FY‑2027 Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CEO Thomas Ferguson sold 25,000 shares (~$3.18M at ~ $127.29), reducing his holding. Large CEO sales can spook investors even if done for personal reasons or planned programs. Insider Sale Report

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AZZ in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $125.00 price target on AZZ in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of AZZ from $128.00 to $121.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.17.

AZZ Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $114.26 and a 200 day moving average of $110.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.91 and a beta of 1.13.

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

AZZ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. 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 (DPR) is presently 7.52%.

AZZ announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Friday, January 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to repurchase up to 2.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Tara D. Mackey sold 2,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,203,485.44. This represents a 9.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas E. Ferguson sold 25,000 shares of AZZ stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.29, for a total value of $3,182,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 158,182 shares in the company, valued at $20,134,986.78. This represents a 13.65% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 30,358 shares of company stock worth $3,841,552 over the last ninety days. 1.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of AZZ

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AZZ. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of AZZ by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 6,882 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $738,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al raised its holdings in shares of AZZ by 86.0% during the fourth quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 9,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $997,000 after acquiring an additional 4,300 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in AZZ during the fourth quarter valued at $686,000. F m Investments LLC boosted its position in AZZ by 48.3% during the fourth quarter. F m Investments LLC now owns 30,404 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,259,000 after purchasing an additional 9,907 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pier Capital LLC purchased a new position in AZZ in the fourth quarter valued at about $7,606,000. 90.93% of the stock is currently 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.