Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Takes Position in AZZ Inc. $AZZ

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 17,518 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,716,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned approximately 0.06% of AZZ as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AZZ. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in AZZ during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AZZ by 92.5% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 258 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AZZ in the second quarter worth $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in AZZ during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in AZZ by 184.3% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 361 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.93% of the company’s stock.

AZZ Price Performance

Shares of AZZ opened at $140.29 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $146.63 and its 200-day moving average is $140.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a PE ratio of 21.39 and a beta of 1.11. AZZ Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $92.98 and a fifty-two week high of $162.20.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 8th. The industrial products company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $448.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $434.58 million. AZZ had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 14.18%. AZZ’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. AZZ has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.750-7.150 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that AZZ Inc. will post 6.93 EPS for the current year.

AZZ Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from AZZ’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. AZZ’s dividend payout ratio is 14.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. B. Riley Financial lifted their price target on shares of AZZ from $169.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of AZZ from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings cut AZZ from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded AZZ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.25.

Insider Activity at AZZ

In other AZZ news, COO Bryan Lee Stovall sold 2,677 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.07, for a total transaction of $401,737.39. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 35,000 shares in the company, valued at $5,252,450. This trade represents a 7.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Jeffrey Vellines sold 4,220 shares of AZZ stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.55, for a total value of $647,981.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 1,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $281,610.70. This represents a 69.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.