Interval Partners LP Acquires 6,091 Shares of Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Key Points

• Interval Partners LP boosted its stake in Acuity, Inc. by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, adding 6,091 shares and bringing its total holding to 68,959 shares valued at about $24.8 million.
• Acuity reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $4.14 per share, though revenue of $1.06 billion came in slightly below estimates. Revenue still rose 4.9% year over year, and the company maintained strong profitability metrics.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $369.17 despite some recent rating and target cuts.

Interval Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 68,959 shares of the electronics maker's stock after purchasing an additional 6,091 shares during the period. Interval Partners LP owned 0.22% of Acuity worth $24,828,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acuity during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acuity during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Acuity during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acuity during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of Acuity by 59.2% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 113 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.21% of the company's stock.

Acuity Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE AYI opened at $305.59 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Acuity, Inc. has a 1-year low of $257.04 and a 1-year high of $380.17. The company has a 50 day moving average of $291.35 and a 200-day moving average of $309.73. The company has a market cap of $9.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.40, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.31.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.11 by $0.03. Acuity had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The company 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 business earned $2.45 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Acuity news, Director Maya Leibman purchased 200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $288.83 per share, for a total transaction of $57,766.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $115,532. This represents a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Laura O'shaughnessy purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at $880,350.78. This represents a 47.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AYI shares. Weiss Ratings cut Acuity from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen cut Acuity from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $369.17.

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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