AlphaQuest LLC Raises Stake in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 180.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,823 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,682 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Acuity were worth $3,177,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AYI. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Acuity in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Acuity in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Acuity in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Acuity during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. 98.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on AYI. Weiss Ratings cut Acuity from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $369.17.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Maya Leibman bought 200 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $288.83 per share, with a total value of $57,766.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 400 shares in the company, valued at $115,532. The trade was a 100.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Laura O’shaughnessy purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 3,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $880,350.78. This represents a 47.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 2.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Acuity Stock Performance

AYI stock opened at $287.80 on Tuesday. Acuity, Inc. has a twelve month low of $253.03 and a twelve month high of $380.17. The firm has a market cap of $8.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.10, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.32. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $281.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $316.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 2nd. The electronics maker reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.11 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. Acuity had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.45 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. Acuity’s payout ratio is 5.87%.

Acuity Company Profile

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.