Key Points
- CFO Karen Holcom sold 4,974 shares on Jan. 28 at an average of $309.23 for about $1.54 million, trimming her stake by 18.77% to 21,523 shares (SEC filing disclosed).
- Acuity raised its quarterly dividend to $0.20 (from $0.17), with an ex-dividend date of Feb. 2 and payment on Feb. 13, implying a $0.80 annualized payout and a ~0.3% yield.
- The company beat quarterly expectations with $4.69 EPS (vs. $4.45 expected) and revenue of $1.14 billion (up 20.2% YoY); analysts rate the stock a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $395.17.
Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) CFO Karen Holcom sold 4,974 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.23, for a total transaction of $1,538,110.02. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 21,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,655,557.29. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.
Acuity Stock Down 1.4%
NYSE AYI opened at $309.21 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.79, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.50. Acuity, Inc. has a 12 month low of $216.81 and a 12 month high of $380.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $349.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $341.08.
Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 8th. The electronics maker reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.14 billion. Acuity had a return on equity of 20.97% and a net margin of 9.04%.The firm's revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.97 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Acuity, Inc. will post 15.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Acuity Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This is an increase from Acuity's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Acuity's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.23%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AYI shares. Robert W. Baird set a $375.00 price target on Acuity in a report on Friday, January 9th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Acuity from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Acuity from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $395.17.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Acuity
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Acuity
Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Interchange Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Acuity in the 4th quarter worth $238,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Acuity during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in Acuity by 56.6% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 14,583 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $5,250,000 after acquiring an additional 5,271 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acuity in the 4th quarter worth approximately $296,000. Finally, Certuity LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Acuity during the 4th quarter worth approximately $300,000. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Acuity Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Acuity Brands, Inc (NYSE: AYI) is a leading provider of lighting fixtures, controls and building management solutions designed for commercial, institutional, industrial and residential markets. The company's core offerings include a broad range of LED luminaires, lighting controls, sensors and networked building systems that enhance energy efficiency, occupant comfort and operational productivity. Acuity Brands' portfolio spans indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures, emergency lighting, task lighting and architectural products, as well as advanced controls such as daylight harvesting, occupancy sensing and wireless sensor networks.
Beyond traditional lighting, Acuity Brands delivers integrated digital solutions through its Connected Building platform, which combines smart sensors, cloud-based analytics and mobile applications to enable real-time monitoring and remote management of lighting and environmental systems.
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