Acuity, Inc. $AYI Shares Bought by GHP Investment Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• GHP Investment Advisors nearly doubled its stake in Acuity during the first quarter, increasing holdings by 89.6% to 8,200 shares valued at about $2.3 million.
• Acuity’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $5.31 and revenue of $1.20 billion, both ahead of analyst estimates.
• Management raised its full-year outlook, and analysts have turned more constructive, with price targets lifted as high as $465 and consensus still at Moderate Buy.

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 89.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,200 shares of the electronics maker's stock after acquiring an additional 3,876 shares during the quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Acuity were worth $2,298,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AYI. 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. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its position in Acuity by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,134 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $637,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Acuity by 1.6% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,488 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $857,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC grew its stake in shares of Acuity by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 6,805 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $2,450,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in Acuity by 59.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 113 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.21% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Acuity

Here are the key news stories impacting Acuity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Acuity reported Q3 adjusted EPS of $5.31 versus estimates around $5.17 and revenue of $1.20 billion versus $1.18 billion expected, reinforcing investor confidence in execution. Acuity Reports Fiscal 2026 Third-Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised the outlook, guiding FY2026 revenue to $4.8 billion and non-GAAP EPS to $19.75, both above consensus, which suggests the strong quarter may continue. Acuity: Q3 Earnings Brighten The Company's Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: The Intelligent Spaces segment was a standout, with revenue up nearly 15%, gross margins above 60%, and operating margin expanding more than 800 basis points to 18.6%, highlighting improving profitability. Acuity: Q3 Earnings Brighten The Company's Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted the beat, while a recent price-target increase from Robert W. Baird to $390 also reflects improved sentiment around the stock. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Acuity also confirmed its quarterly dividend and announced completion of the Distech Controls acquisition, which adds to the company’s strategic positioning but is less directly tied to the stock move. Acuity Brands Completes Acquisition of Distech Controls

Insider Buying and Selling at Acuity

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

Acuity Price Performance

Shares of AYI stock opened at $361.71 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Acuity, Inc. has a one year low of $257.04 and a one year high of $380.17. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $297.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $308.10.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.17 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.18 billion. Acuity had a net margin of 10.25% and a return on equity of 20.26%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.12 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Acuity's payout ratio is presently 5.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AYI. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer set a $465.00 target price on shares of Acuity in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings cut Acuity from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Acuity from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, June 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $397.17.

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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