AlphaQuest LLC Acquires 5,682 Shares of Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC increased its stake in Acuity, Inc. by 180.9% in the fourth quarter, adding 5,682 shares and bringing its total holding to 8,823 shares worth about $3.18 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other institutions holding 98.21% of Acuity’s stock. Several other firms also boosted positions, including Millennium Management and American Century.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed but constructive: analysts currently rate AYI as a Moderate Buy with an average target price of $369.17, even as several firms trimmed price targets in recent reports.

AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 180.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,823 shares of the electronics maker's stock after acquiring an additional 5,682 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in Acuity were worth $3,177,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Acuity by 98.4% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 571,017 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $196,653,000 after acquiring an additional 283,203 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Acuity by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 96,784 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $33,332,000 after purchasing an additional 7,973 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its stake in Acuity by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 215,809 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $74,322,000 after purchasing an additional 15,611 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Acuity by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 815,050 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $280,695,000 after purchasing an additional 17,011 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new stake in Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,019,000. Institutional investors own 98.21% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AYI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. 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 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 for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings cut Acuity from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Acuity from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, April 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $369.17.

Acuity Stock Performance

AYI stock opened at $287.80 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Acuity, Inc. has a 1 year low of $253.03 and a 1 year high of $380.17. The company has a market cap of $8.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.32. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $281.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $316.25.

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

Acuity Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Acuity

In related news, Director Maya Leibman purchased 200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was acquired 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 owned 400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $115,532. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Laura O'shaughnessy purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the acquisition, 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 position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

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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