Acuity, Inc. $AYI Shares Sold by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Key Points

• Hsbc Holdings PLC cut its stake in Acuity by 30.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 5,060 shares and leaving it with 11,769 shares valued at about $4.25 million.
• Acuity reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $5.31 versus estimates of $5.17 and revenue of $1.20 billion, while revenue rose 1.6% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with five Buy ratings and four Hold ratings, and an average price target of $397.17; the stock also recently traded up 1.3% to $334.14.

Hsbc Holdings PLC lowered its position in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 30.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,769 shares of the electronics maker's stock after selling 5,060 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in Acuity were worth $4,249,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. World Investment Advisors acquired a new stake in Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at $358,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Acuity by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 15,215 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $5,479,000 after buying an additional 3,082 shares in the last quarter. AG Campbell Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Acuity in the 4th quarter worth $799,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its position in Acuity by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 4,752 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $1,714,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Acuity during the fourth quarter valued at about $283,000. 98.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Acuity Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of Acuity stock opened at $334.14 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $309.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $307.04. Acuity, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $257.04 and a fifty-two week high of $380.17. The firm has a market cap of $10.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.17 by $0.14. Acuity had a return on equity of 20.26% and a net margin of 10.25%.The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.12 EPS. Acuity's quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Acuity's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Acuity news, Director Maya Leibman acquired 200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $288.83 per share, with a total value of $57,766.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 400 shares in the company, valued at $115,532. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AYI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised Acuity from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Acuity from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Thursday, June 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $465.00 price target on shares of Acuity in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Acuity has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $397.17.

Acuity 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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