Acuity, Inc. $AYI Shares Sold by Ashford Capital Management Inc.

Ashford Capital Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 3.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 63,539 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 2,183 shares during the quarter. Acuity makes up 2.2% of Ashford Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Ashford Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of Acuity worth $17,805,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Acuity during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Acuity in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Acuity during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

Acuity Stock Performance

Shares of Acuity stock opened at $336.05 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.27. Acuity, Inc. has a 52 week low of $257.04 and a 52 week high of $380.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $319.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $303.78.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.17 by $0.14. Acuity had a net margin of 10.25% and a return on equity of 20.26%. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.12 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Maya Leibman purchased 200 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was purchased 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 directly owned 400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $115,532. The trade was a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AYI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Weiss Ratings raised Acuity from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Acuity currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.17.

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.