Acuity, Inc. $AYI Shares Bought by Lightrock Netherlands B.V.

Key Points

• Lightrock Netherlands B.V. increased its Acuity stake by 176.5% in the first quarter, ending with 44,803 shares valued at about $12.6 million. The position now represents roughly 1.3% of its portfolio.
• Acuity reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $5.31 versus estimates of $5.17 and revenue of $1.20 billion versus $1.18 billion expected. Revenue rose 1.6% year over year, and the company posted a 20.26% return on equity.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, payable August 3, while analysts remain generally positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $397.17.

Lightrock Netherlands B.V. boosted its holdings in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 176.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 44,803 shares of the electronics maker's stock after acquiring an additional 28,600 shares during the period. Acuity accounts for about 1.3% of Lightrock Netherlands B.V.'s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. owned approximately 0.15% of Acuity worth $12,555,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Maya Leibman acquired 200 shares of Acuity 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 purchase, the director directly owned 400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $115,532. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Acuity Price Performance

Shares of AYI opened at $340.02 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $313.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $305.66. Acuity, Inc. has a twelve month low of $257.04 and a twelve month high of $380.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.18 billion, a PE ratio of 22.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Acuity had a return on equity of 20.26% and a net margin of 10.25%.The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.12 earnings per share. Acuity's revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AYI shares. Oppenheimer set a $465.00 price objective on shares of Acuity in a research report on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Acuity from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, June 21st. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus 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.

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