Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 14,430 Shares of AZZ Inc. $AZZ

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 162,812 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,430 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in AZZ were worth $17,768,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AZZ. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of AZZ by 1.8% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 8,437 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $921,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in AZZ by 3.9% during the second quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 4,311 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank grew its holdings in AZZ by 2.1% in the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 8,683 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $948,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in AZZ by 206.7% during the 2nd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 273 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in AZZ by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 26,314 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,486,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. 90.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AZZ Trading Up 2.2%

NYSE AZZ opened at $130.20 on Monday. AZZ Inc. has a one year low of $70.90 and a one year high of $131.55. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $115.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.66. The firm has a market cap of $3.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.24 and a beta of 1.13.

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.09. AZZ had a return on equity of 14.45% and a net margin of 19.89%.The firm had revenue of $425.75 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $412.97 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.39 earnings per share. AZZ’s 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that AZZ Inc. will post 5.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AZZ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be issued 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 is Thursday, February 5th. AZZ’s payout ratio is 7.52%.

AZZ declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Friday, January 30th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to purchase up to 2.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $125.00 price objective on AZZ in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AZZ in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded AZZ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $117.17.

Insider Activity at AZZ

In other AZZ news, CEO Thomas E. Ferguson sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s 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. This trade represents a 13.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $353,325.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 25,296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,203,485.44. This represents a 9.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 30,358 shares of company stock worth $3,841,552 over the last quarter. 1.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.