Wells Fargo & Company Downgrades AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) to Equal Weight

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) was downgraded by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $132.00 price objective on the industrial products company’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $127.00. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 0.53% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently commented on AZZ. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AZZ in a report on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $125.00 price objective on shares of AZZ in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Noble Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AZZ in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.20.

AZZ Stock Down 2.4%

AZZ stock opened at $131.31 on Monday. AZZ has a fifty-two week low of $70.90 and a fifty-two week high of $141.18. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.34 and a beta of 1.11. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $124.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.25.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last announced its quarterly 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 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 analysts’ expectations of $412.97 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.39 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. AZZ has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.900-6.200 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AZZ will post 5.13 EPS for the current year.

AZZ declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Friday, January 30th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to reacquire up to 2.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Tara D. Mackey sold 2,923 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.00, for a total transaction of $397,528.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 22,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,042,728. This represents a 11.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas E. Ferguson sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.29, for a total value of $3,182,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 158,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,134,986.78. This trade represents a 13.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 33,281 shares of company stock worth $4,239,080 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AZZ

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AZZ. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake 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 buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in AZZ by 206.7% in the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 273 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of AZZ in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of AZZ during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of AZZ in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 90.93% of the company’s stock.

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.