AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Invests $2.02 Million in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Key Points

• AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new position in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) in Q4, acquiring 5,603 shares valued at approximately $2.02 million.
• M&T Bank Corp dramatically increased its stake in Q4—adding 681,696 shares to reach 692,189 shares valued at about $249.2 million—and institutional investors now own roughly 98.21% of the company.
• Acuity declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 (annualized $0.80) with an ex‑dividend/record date of April 17, and the stock has an average analyst price target of $369.17 (consensus: "Moderate Buy").

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new position in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 5,603 shares of the electronics maker's stock, valued at approximately $2,019,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Acuity by 19.5% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,839 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $3,902,000 after purchasing an additional 1,770 shares during the last quarter. Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP purchased a new position in shares of Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at about $303,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in shares of Acuity by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 24,621 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $8,865,000 after buying an additional 2,230 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Acuity by 6,496.7% in the 4th 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 period. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in shares of Acuity by 22.7% in the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 30,103 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $10,878,000 after buying an additional 5,576 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.21% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Acuity

In other Acuity news, Director Laura O'shaughnessy bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 3,111 shares in the company, 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 available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Karen J. Holcom sold 4,974 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.23, for a total transaction of $1,538,110.02. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 21,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,655,557.29. The trade was a 18.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Acuity in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $369.17.

Acuity Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE AYI opened at $290.03 on Monday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $283.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $326.33. Acuity, Inc. has a 52-week low of $234.98 and a 52-week high of $380.17. The firm has a market cap of $8.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Acuity's payout ratio is currently 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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