Acuity, Inc. $AYI Holdings Lifted by 140 Summer Partners LP

140 Summer Partners LP increased its position in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 375.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 225,860 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 178,360 shares during the quarter. Acuity makes up approximately 6.0% of 140 Summer Partners LP’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. 140 Summer Partners LP’s holdings in Acuity were worth $81,319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AYI. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Acuity by 50,220.2% during the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,268,433 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $676,764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263,925 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its position in Acuity by 6,496.7% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 692,189 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $249,216,000 after acquiring an additional 681,696 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Acuity in the fourth quarter worth about $138,747,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Acuity by 98.4% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 571,017 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $196,653,000 after acquiring an additional 283,203 shares during the period. Finally, Palestra Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Acuity in the third quarter worth about $91,539,000. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Acuity Stock Performance

NYSE AYI opened at $306.52 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $290.60 and its 200-day moving average is $310.16. Acuity, Inc. has a 12-month low of $257.04 and a 12-month high of $380.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $9.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.31.

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

Acuity Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on AYI. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Acuity from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Acuity from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Acuity currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $369.17.

Insider Activity at Acuity

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

Acuity 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.