Hsbc Holdings PLC Has $5.06 Million Stock Position in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Key Points

• HSBC Holdings increased its Acuity stake by 54% in the second quarter, owning 13,477 shares valued at approximately $5.06 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 98.21% of Acuity’s stock.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Acuity receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $397.17. Recent target changes ranged from $358 to $410.
• Acuity exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $5.31 in EPS on $1.20 billion in revenue, while revenue increased 1.6% year over year. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.20, equivalent to a 0.2% yield.

Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 54.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,477 shares of the electronics maker's stock after acquiring an additional 4,728 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in Acuity were worth $5,062,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acuity in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in Acuity in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acuity during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Acuity in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 98.21% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Acuity

In other news, CFO Karen Holcom sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.62, for a total value of $659,240.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,447 shares in the company, valued at $5,750,880.14. This trade represents a 10.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on AYI shares. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Acuity from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, August 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Acuity currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $397.17.

Acuity Stock Performance

NYSE AYI opened at $321.51 on Thursday. Acuity, Inc. has a 12-month low of $257.04 and a 12-month high of $380.17. The company has a market cap of $9.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $340.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $309.20. 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 (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.17 by $0.14. Acuity had a net margin of 10.25% and a return on equity of 20.26%. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.12 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

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

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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