Graham Capital Management L.P. Acquires 5,244 Shares of Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Key Points

• Graham Capital Management boosted its stake in Acuity, Inc. by 70.4% in the fourth quarter, adding 5,244 shares and bringing its total holdings to 12,694 shares valued at about $4.57 million.
• Several insiders bought shares recently, including directors Maya Leibman and Laura O’shaughnessy, while institutional investors continue to own the vast majority of the stock at 98.21%.
• Analysts remain split but broadly constructive: Acuity has a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $369.17, even as several firms trimmed ratings or lowered price targets.

Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 70.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,694 shares of the electronics maker's stock after purchasing an additional 5,244 shares during the quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in Acuity were worth $4,570,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AYI. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acuity in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its position in Acuity by 59.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 113 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Acuity

In other Acuity news, Director Maya Leibman bought 200 shares of the 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Laura O'shaughnessy bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $880,350.78. The trade was a 47.37% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Acuity from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen cut Acuity from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $369.17.

Acuity Price Performance

AYI stock opened at $306.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $290.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $310.16. Acuity, Inc. has a 52-week low of $257.04 and a 52-week high of $380.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.47, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.07.

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

Acuity Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. 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 (DPR) is presently 5.87%.

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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