Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $17.77 Million Stock Holdings in AZZ Inc. $AZZ

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 162,812 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 14,430 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.54% of AZZ worth $17,768,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AZZ. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in AZZ by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 23,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,535,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of AZZ during the third quarter worth $1,032,000. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of AZZ by 1.8% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 8,437 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $921,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Riverwater Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of AZZ by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 15,838 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,728,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in AZZ in the third quarter valued at approximately $425,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.93% of the company’s stock.

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 shares were sold at an average price of $126.64, for a total value of $353,325.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 25,296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,203,485.44. This represents a 9.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas E. Ferguson sold 25,000 shares of AZZ stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were 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. The trade was a 13.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 30,358 shares of company stock valued at $3,841,552 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.77% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZZ has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $125.00 price target on AZZ in a report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AZZ in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.17.

AZZ Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE AZZ opened at $130.20 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.24 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $115.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $110.26. AZZ Inc. has a 1 year low of $70.90 and a 1 year high of $131.55.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $412.97 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue 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 forecast that AZZ Inc. will post 5.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

AZZ Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 5th. AZZ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.52%.

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.