Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Nine brokerages give Acuity a consensus rating of Moderate Buy (five buys, four holds) with an average 12‑month price target of $369.17.
• Insider activity was mixed: CFO Karen Holcom sold 4,974 shares (an 18.8% reduction in her holdings) while Director Laura O'Shaughnessy purchased 1,000 shares (a 47.4% increase); insiders own 2.90% of the stock and institutional investors hold about 98.21%.
• Zacks has cut multiple near‑term and full‑year EPS estimates—signaling softer demand or margin pressure—while Acuity trades at a market cap of $8.99B, a PE of 21.7, and recently announced a $0.20 quarterly dividend (0.3% yield).

Shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the nine brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $369.1667.

A number of brokerages have commented on AYI. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Acuity from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, April 12th. 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 research note on Monday, April 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Acuity from $425.00 to $410.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th.

Insider Transactions at Acuity

In other Acuity news, CFO Karen J. Holcom sold 4,974 shares of Acuity 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 21,523 shares in the company, valued at $6,655,557.29. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Laura O'shaughnessy purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $880,350.78. The trade was a 47.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 2.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Acuity

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its position in shares of Acuity by 25.6% during the third quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 152 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Acuity by 0.5% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 6,269 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $2,159,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Illumine Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Acuity by 1.2% during the third quarter. Illumine Investment Management LLC now owns 2,872 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $989,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its position in shares of Acuity by 0.6% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 5,577 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $1,921,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Acuity by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 617 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $222,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Acuity Price Performance

Shares of AYI stock opened at $296.34 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The firm's 50-day moving average is $284.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $327.66. Acuity has a 12 month low of $229.76 and a 12 month high of $380.17. The company has a market capitalization of $8.99 billion, a PE ratio of 21.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Acuity's payout ratio is 5.87%.

Acuity News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Acuity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Small upside revision: Zacks bumped its Q3 2027 EPS view slightly to $5.32 from $5.31, a token improvement for that quarter. MarketBeat: AYI Zacks estimate changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published a comprehensive update covering Q3/Q4 2026 through FY2028 (full set of quarter and year estimates), so investors now have refreshed guidance drivers to compare against Acuity's results and management commentary. MarketBeat: AYI Zacks estimate changes
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple downward revisions to near‑term quarters: Zacks cut Q3 2026 to $4.91 (from $5.04), Q4 2026 to $5.23 (from $5.30), Q1 2027 to $4.77 (from $4.80) and sharply cut Q2 2027 to $4.40 (from $4.69). These trims suggest softer demand or margin pressure in 2026–2027 and are likely weighing on sentiment. MarketBeat: AYI Zacks estimate changes
• Negative Sentiment: Downward revisions to full‑year estimates: Zacks lowered FY2026 to $18.33 (from $18.53), FY2027 to $20.07 (from $20.37) and FY2028 to $21.77 (from $22.21). Lower multi‑year EPS paths can pressure valuation multiples and investor expectations. MarketBeat: AYI Zacks estimate changes

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.

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