Key Points
- Director Laura O'Shaughnessy bought 1,000 shares of Acuity (NYSE:AYI) on April 8 at an average price of $282.98, boosting her holding 47.37% to 3,111 shares valued at ~$880,350; the purchase was disclosed in an SEC filing.
- Acuity beat expectations for the quarter with $4.69 EPS** versus $4.45 expected and reported $1.14 billion in revenue, up 20.2% year-over-year.
- Wall Street sentiment is a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $369.17, although several analysts recently cut targets or issued downgrades.
Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) Director Laura O'shaughnessy purchased 1,000 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $282.98 per share, for a total transaction of $282,980.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 3,111 shares in the company, valued at $880,350.78. The trade was a 47.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.
Acuity Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE AYI opened at $278.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.07. The company has a market cap of $8.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.42. The firm's fifty day moving average is $289.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $330.71. Acuity, Inc. has a 52-week low of $225.71 and a 52-week high of $380.17.
Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 8th. The electronics maker reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Acuity had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 20.74%. Acuity's revenue for the quarter was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.97 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Acuity, Inc. will post 15.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Acuity Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Acuity's payout ratio is 5.87%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AYI. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Friday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Acuity from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Acuity presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $369.17.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Acuity
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Acuity
Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vest Financial LLC grew its holdings in Acuity by 121.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 9,312 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $3,207,000 after purchasing an additional 5,105 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Acuity by 98.4% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 571,017 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $196,653,000 after purchasing an additional 283,203 shares during the last quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. grew its holdings in Acuity by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. now owns 99,560 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $34,287,000 after purchasing an additional 6,452 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Acuity by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 96,784 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $33,332,000 after purchasing an additional 7,973 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Acuity during the 2nd quarter valued at about $119,587,000. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
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.
Further Reading
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