Alua Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Alua Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 226,168 shares of the electronics maker's stock, valued at approximately $63,377,000. Acuity makes up approximately 5.6% of Alua Capital Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Alua Capital Management LP owned approximately 0.75% of Acuity as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AYI. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new stake in shares of Acuity in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,019,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in Acuity by 499.6% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 164,275 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $59,145,000 after acquiring an additional 136,879 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in Acuity by 37.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 308,665 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $111,132,000 after acquiring an additional 83,936 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Acuity by 120.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,820 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $5,177,000 after acquiring an additional 7,543 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension bought a new stake in Acuity in the fourth quarter worth approximately $22,572,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.21% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AYI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer set a $465.00 price target on Acuity in a research note on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Acuity from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Acuity has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $397.17.

Acuity Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AYI opened at $330.36 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.89 billion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Acuity, Inc. has a 1-year low of $257.04 and a 1-year high of $380.17. The business's 50 day moving average is $318.47 and its 200-day moving average is $304.56.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.17 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.18 billion. Acuity had a net margin of 10.25% and a return on equity of 20.26%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.12 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Acuity

In related news, Director Maya Leibman acquired 200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $288.83 per share, with a total value of $57,766.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 400 shares in the company, valued at $115,532. The trade was a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Acuity

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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