KBC Group NV Has $6.96 Million Holdings in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Key Points

• KBC Group NV increased its stake in Acuity by 222.7% in the first quarter, ending with 24,842 shares valued at about $6.96 million. Institutional investors remain heavily involved, with roughly 98.21% of the stock owned by institutions and hedge funds.
• Acuity’s latest earnings beat expectations, reporting $5.31 EPS versus the $5.17 estimate and revenue of $1.20 billion versus $1.18 billion expected. The company also posted 1.6% revenue growth year over year.
• Analysts and insiders remain constructive: Zacks raised several EPS forecasts, a director bought additional shares, and Wall Street’s consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average price target of $397.17.

KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 222.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,842 shares of the electronics maker's stock after acquiring an additional 17,143 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.08% of Acuity worth $6,961,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Acuity in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,019,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in shares of Acuity by 499.6% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 164,275 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $59,145,000 after buying an additional 136,879 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its position in shares of Acuity by 37.3% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 308,665 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $111,132,000 after buying an additional 83,936 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Acuity by 120.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,820 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $5,177,000 after buying an additional 7,543 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in shares of Acuity by 29.7% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 92,134 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $33,172,000 after buying an additional 21,118 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Acuity News

Here are the key news stories impacting Acuity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research lifted Acuity’s FY2027 EPS estimate to $20.26 from $20.07 and FY2028 EPS to $21.96 from $21.77, suggesting stronger longer-term earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also raised its Q3 2027 estimate to $5.53 from $5.32 and Q4 2027 estimate to $5.60 from $5.57, indicating continued confidence in near-term performance.
• Positive Sentiment: Several revised estimates remain above the current full-year consensus of $18.44 EPS, reinforcing the view that Acuity may outperform expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed a few quarterly estimates, including Q4 2026 to $5.14 from $5.23, Q2 2027 to $4.31 from $4.40, and Q1 2028 to $5.09 from $5.11, which slightly tempers the overall bullish tone.

Insider Buying and Selling at Acuity

In other news, Director Maya Leibman bought 200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $288.83 per share, with a total value of $57,766.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $115,532. This represents a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AYI has been the topic of several research reports. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Acuity from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $465.00 target price on shares of Acuity in a report on Friday, June 26th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $397.17.

Acuity Stock Performance

AYI opened at $331.82 on Thursday. 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 $9.93 billion, a PE ratio of 22.00, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.05. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $316.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $304.70.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.17 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.18 billion. Acuity had a return on equity of 20.26% and a net margin of 10.25%.The business's revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.12 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

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

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.