Acuity, Inc. $AYI Shares Bought by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group boosted its stake in Acuity by 451.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with 12,819 shares valued at about $4.6 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added to or established positions, and hedge funds and institutions now own 98.21% of Acuity’s stock.
• Acuity reported quarterly EPS of $4.14, slightly beating estimates, while revenue came in at $1.06 billion, below expectations; analysts currently have a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $369.17.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 451.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,819 shares of the electronics maker's stock after acquiring an additional 10,496 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Acuity were worth $4,615,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AYI. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in Acuity by 50,220.2% in the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,268,433 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $676,764,000 after acquiring an additional 2,263,925 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its position in shares of Acuity by 6,496.7% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 692,189 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $249,216,000 after buying an additional 681,696 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of Acuity by 98.4% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 571,017 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $196,653,000 after buying an additional 283,203 shares in the last quarter. Palestra Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Acuity during the third quarter worth approximately $91,539,000. Finally, UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of Acuity by 345.3% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 224,729 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $77,394,000 after buying an additional 174,265 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.21% of the company's stock.

Acuity Stock Performance

Shares of AYI opened at $287.80 on Tuesday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $281.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $316.25. Acuity, Inc. has a 12-month low of $253.03 and a 12-month high of $380.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.73 billion, a PE ratio of 21.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 2nd. The electronics maker reported $4.14 earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.45 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.06 EPS for the current year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Acuity's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AYI. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Acuity from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Acuity from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $369.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Acuity

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

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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