Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Reduces Position in AZZ Inc. $AZZ

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL decreased its stake in shares of AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) by 10.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 499,565 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 55,521 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in AZZ were worth $53,543,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AZZ. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in AZZ during the second quarter worth $30,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in AZZ by 55.9% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 382 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new position in AZZ during the third quarter worth $46,000. Huntington National Bank increased its position in AZZ by 56.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 428 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP increased its position in AZZ by 219.9% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 435 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.93% of the company’s stock.

AZZ Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZZ opened at $141.17 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $4.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. AZZ Inc. has a 52 week low of $86.67 and a 52 week high of $151.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $133.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $121.74.

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

AZZ announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Friday, January 30th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in 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 usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

AZZ Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 23rd were given 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 of this dividend was Thursday, April 23rd. AZZ’s payout ratio is 7.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AZZ shares. B. Riley Financial raised their price target on AZZ from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen raised AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $152.00 price objective on shares of AZZ in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Noble Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AZZ in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on AZZ from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AZZ has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.80.

AZZ 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.