AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $153.04 and last traded at $152.71, with a volume of 19530 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.26.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on AZZ. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Noble Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AZZ in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of AZZ from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of AZZ in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, B. Riley Financial increased their price target on shares of AZZ from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.00.

AZZ Stock Up 1.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $138.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $126.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.15. The firm 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.98 EPS. AZZ has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.500-7.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AZZ Inc. will post 6.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AZZ Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AZZ

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new position in shares of AZZ during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,120,000. Capital International Investors raised its position in AZZ by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,961,247 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $214,031,000 after purchasing an additional 157,529 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in AZZ by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 163,954 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $17,892,000 after buying an additional 11,405 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in AZZ during the 3rd quarter worth $2,127,000. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in AZZ in the 3rd quarter valued at $7,028,000. 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.