Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Boosts Position in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management increased its Acuity stake by 252.7% in the first quarter, ending with 71,678 shares valued at about $20.1 million.
• Acuity’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with adjusted EPS of $5.31 and revenue of $1.20 billion, and management raised full-year guidance for FY2026 revenue and non-GAAP EPS.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $397.17, while several firms recently lifted targets despite mixed ratings calls.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 252.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,678 shares of the electronics maker's stock after purchasing an additional 51,357 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.24% of Acuity worth $20,086,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Acuity by 8,338.5% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,097 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 1,084 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Acuity by 17.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 76,543 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $20,158,000 after purchasing an additional 11,144 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Acuity by 372.7% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 208 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Acuity by 1.8% during the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,134 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $637,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acuity in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $762,000. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AYI shares. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Oppenheimer set a $465.00 price objective on shares of Acuity in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Acuity from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Five 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, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $397.17.

Key Acuity News

Here are the key news stories impacting Acuity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Acuity reported Q3 adjusted EPS of $5.31 versus estimates around $5.17 and revenue of $1.20 billion versus $1.18 billion expected, reinforcing investor confidence in execution. Acuity Reports Fiscal 2026 Third-Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised the outlook, guiding FY2026 revenue to $4.8 billion and non-GAAP EPS to $19.75, both above consensus, which suggests the strong quarter may continue. Acuity: Q3 Earnings Brighten The Company's Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: The Intelligent Spaces segment was a standout, with revenue up nearly 15%, gross margins above 60%, and operating margin expanding more than 800 basis points to 18.6%, highlighting improving profitability. Acuity: Q3 Earnings Brighten The Company's Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted the beat, while a recent price-target increase from Robert W. Baird to $390 also reflects improved sentiment around the stock. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Acuity also confirmed its quarterly dividend and announced completion of the Distech Controls acquisition, which adds to the company’s strategic positioning but is less directly tied to the stock move. Acuity Brands Completes Acquisition of Distech Controls

Acuity Stock Up 0.6%

NYSE AYI opened at $361.71 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $297.99 and its 200 day moving average is $308.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Acuity, Inc. has a 12 month low of $257.04 and a 12 month high of $380.17. The stock has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a PE ratio of 23.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.31.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.17 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion. Acuity had a net margin of 10.25% and a return on equity of 20.26%. Acuity's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.12 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Acuity's payout ratio is currently 5.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Laura O'shaughnessy acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 3,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $880,350.78. This trade represents a 47.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Maya Leibman bought 200 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $288.83 per share, for a total transaction of $57,766.00. Following the purchase, 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 disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 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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