Acuity, Inc. $AYI Shares Bought by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans significantly boosted its Acuity stake by 499.6% in the fourth quarter, ending with 164,275 shares worth about $59.1 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased positions in AYI, and hedge funds and institutions now own 98.21% of the company’s stock.
• Acuity’s recent results and outlook were mixed: it beat EPS estimates in its latest quarter, but revenue came in slightly below expectations, while analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $369.17.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 499.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 164,275 shares of the electronics maker's stock after buying an additional 136,879 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.54% of Acuity worth $59,145,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AYI. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 2,263,925 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in Acuity by 6,496.7% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 692,189 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $249,216,000 after buying an additional 681,696 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Acuity by 98.4% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 571,017 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $196,653,000 after buying an additional 283,203 shares during the last quarter. Palestra Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Acuity during the third quarter worth about $91,539,000. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted 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 purchasing an additional 174,265 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.21% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Acuity from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Acuity from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $369.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Maya Leibman bought 200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $288.83 per share, for a total transaction of $57,766.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $115,532. This represents a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Laura O'shaughnessy bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price 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 approximately $880,350.78. This trade represents a 47.37% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Acuity Stock Down 2.8%

AYI stock opened at $281.38 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $280.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $320.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.07. Acuity, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $253.03 and a fifty-two week high of $380.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.32.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 2nd. The electronics maker reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.11 by $0.03. Acuity had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.45 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. Acuity's dividend payout ratio is presently 5.87%.

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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