J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Cuts Stock Position in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin cut its position by 51.8% in Acuity during Q4, selling 32,481 shares and leaving it with 30,165 shares worth about $10.86 million (≈0.10% of the company).
• Acuity beat quarterly EPS estimates ($4.69 vs. $4.45) with revenue of $1.14 billion, up 20.2% year-over-year, and recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share (annualized $0.80; yield ~0.3%) payable May 1.
• Analyst sentiment is a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a target of $380.17 despite recent target cuts by several firms; insider selling (CFO sold 4,974 shares) contrasts with very high institutional ownership (~98.21%).

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG cut its position in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 51.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,165 shares of the electronics maker's stock after selling 32,481 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG owned approximately 0.10% of Acuity worth $10,861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AYI. Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new stake in Acuity in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Acuity during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Acuity by 122.2% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Acuity by 5,200.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 106 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of Acuity by 59.2% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 113 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Acuity Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE AYI opened at $272.15 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $296.28 and its 200 day moving average is $334.71. Acuity, Inc. has a 52 week low of $216.81 and a 52 week high of $380.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.93, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.50.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 8th. The electronics maker reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.24. Acuity had a net margin of 9.04% and a return on equity of 20.97%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.97 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Acuity, Inc. will post 15.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. Acuity's dividend payout ratio is currently 6.15%.

Insider Activity

In other Acuity news, CFO Karen J. Holcom sold 4,974 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.23, for a total transaction of $1,538,110.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 21,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,655,557.29. This represents a 18.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Acuity from $375.00 to $320.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Acuity from $425.00 to $410.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Acuity from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $380.17.

Acuity Company 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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