Acuity (NYSE:AYI) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Acuity from “hold” to “buy,” adding a more bullish analyst view to a stock that already has a Moderate Buy consensus rating and a consensus price target of $369.17.
• Acuity’s recent quarterly results were solid: it posted $4.14 EPS, beating estimates, while revenue rose 4.9% year over year to $1.06 billion, though that still came in slightly below expectations.
• Insider activity has been positive, with directors Maya Leibman and Laura O'shaughnessy both buying shares, while institutional investors continue to hold the vast majority of the stock.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased 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. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Acuity from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $369.17.

Acuity Stock Performance

NYSE:AYI opened at $317.28 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $292.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $309.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.62 billion, a PE ratio of 23.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.31. Acuity has a 52-week low of $257.04 and a 52-week high of $380.17.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 2nd. The electronics maker reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.11 by $0.03. Acuity had a return on equity of 20.74% and a net margin of 9.37%.The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.45 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Acuity will post 18.06 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Maya Leibman bought 200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $288.83 per share, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Laura O'shaughnessy purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's 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 purchase, the director owned 3,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $880,350.78. This represents a 47.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Acuity

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in Acuity by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 6,269 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $2,159,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in Acuity by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,134 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $637,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Acuity by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 617 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Acuity by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,488 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $857,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC boosted its stake in shares of Acuity by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 6,805 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Acuity

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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