Based on 300 hedge funds · latest filing: 2025 Q4 · updated quarterly
📉
Selling streak — 1 quarter in a row
For 1 consecutive quarter, more hedge funds reduced or closed their AZZ positions than added to them. Sustained institutional selling is a meaningful warning sign — these are professionals with deep research teams collectively deciding to exit.
🏔️
At the ownership peak (97% of max)
97% of all-time peak
300 hedge funds hold AZZ right now — the highest count in 3.0 years. When ownership is this concentrated, any bad news can trigger a chain reaction: one big fund sells, others follow. This is a classic 'crowded trade' — high popularity doesn't equal safety.
🚀
Fast accumulation — +33% more funds vs a year ago
fund count last 6Q
+74 new funds entered over the past year (+33% YoY). That's a rapid rush of institutional money. Fast accumulation often signals a major thesis — but it also means the stock could fall quickly if that thesis breaks.
🟡
Slight buying edge — 54% buying
168 buying146 selling
Last quarter: 168 funds bought or added vs 146 that reduced or exited. It's nearly a 50/50 split — some institutions are convinced, others are taking profits. This mixed picture is normal near price highs.
⚠️
Fewer new buyers each quarter (-35 vs last Q)
new funds entering per quarter
Funds opening this position for the first time: 25 → 47 → 83 → 48. Each quarter fewer new institutions are entering. This usually means most funds that wanted in are already in — the stock is well-known but the pool of potential new buyers is shrinking.
🔒
52% of holders stayed for 2+ years
■ 52% conviction (2yr+)
■ 23% medium
■ 25% new
157 out of 300 hedge funds have held AZZ for over 2 years without selling. Long-term investors are generally harder to shake out during market stress, creating a stable ownership base that limits the risk of sudden capitulation.
🚀
Acceleration phase — new buyers rushing in
27 → 25 → 47 → 83 → 48 new funds/Q
New funds entering each quarter: 25 → 47 → 83 → 48. The pace of institutional discovery is accelerating sharply. This is the 'hot idea' phase — the thesis is being passed from fund to fund. You are not late — the accumulation wave is still building.
🏛️
Deep conviction — 58% of holders stayed 2+ years
■ 58% veterans
■ 13% 1-2yr
■ 29% new
Of 302 current holders: 175 (58%) have held for over 2 years without selling. These are not momentum buyers — they have lived through drawdowns and stayed. A large veteran base acts as a stabilizing force during selloffs.
🏆
Elite ownership — 55% AUM from top-100 funds
55% from top-100 AUM funds
40 of 300 holders are among the 100 largest funds by AUM, controlling 55% of total institutional value in AZZ. When the biggest players dominate the cap table, it signifies deep institutional support — since mega-funds deploy the most rigorous due diligence and capital.
4.1
out of 10
Moderate Exit Risk
Exit risk score 4.1/10 — some crowding factors present, but no critical concentration. Watch ownership trend over the next 1–2 quarters for direction.