Allianz Asset Management GmbH Sells 4,653 Shares of Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Key Points

• Allianz Asset Management trimmed its Acuity stake by 2.2% in Q4, selling 4,653 shares but still holding 211,156 shares worth about $76.0 million. Institutional ownership remains very high at 98.21%.
• Acuity’s stock was down 6.3% and opened at $280.87, below both its 50-day moving average of $288.66 and 200-day moving average of $311.85.
• The company reported better-than-expected EPS of $4.14 on April 2, though revenue of $1.06 billion fell slightly short of estimates; analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $369.17.

Allianz Asset Management GmbH cut its position in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 211,156 shares of the electronics maker's stock after selling 4,653 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.69% of Acuity worth $76,025,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AYI. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in Acuity during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Acuity during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Acuity during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in Acuity during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its stake in Acuity by 59.2% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 113 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Acuity news, Director Laura O'shaughnessy acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Maya Leibman acquired 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $288.83 per share, with a total value of $57,766.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $115,532. This represents a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Acuity Trading Down 6.3%

AYI opened at $280.87 on Thursday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $288.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $311.85. The company has a market capitalization of $8.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.59, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.31. Acuity, Inc. has a 52 week low of $257.04 and a 52 week high of $380.17. 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 (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 2nd. The electronics maker reported $4.14 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 company had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.45 EPS. Acuity's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Acuity's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AYI. Weiss Ratings lowered Acuity from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Acuity from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, April 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Five 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, Acuity currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $369.17.

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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