Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Grows Stock Position in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management increased its stake in Acuity by 29.7% during Q4 to 92,134 shares (about $33.17 million), and institutional investors now own 98.21% of the company.
• Acuity declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 (annualized $0.80) with an ex-dividend date of April 17 and a payment date of May 1, implying a yield of roughly 0.3%.
• Analysts are mixed but generally positive: the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $369.17, though some firms (Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs) recently trimmed targets.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 29.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 92,134 shares of the electronics maker's stock after acquiring an additional 21,118 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned about 0.30% of Acuity worth $33,172,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AYI. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Acuity by 8,338.5% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,097 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $289,000 after acquiring an additional 1,084 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Acuity by 17.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 76,543 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $20,158,000 after acquiring an additional 11,144 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Acuity by 372.7% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 208 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its position in shares of Acuity by 1.8% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,134 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $637,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Acuity in the second quarter valued at approximately $762,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.21% of the company's stock.

Acuity Price Performance

NYSE:AYI opened at $282.39 on Tuesday. Acuity, Inc. has a one year low of $225.71 and a one year high of $380.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.07. The stock has a market cap of $8.56 billion, a PE ratio of 20.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $288.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $330.22.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. Acuity's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Acuity in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Acuity from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Friday, March 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $369.17.

Insider Activity at Acuity

In other Acuity news, CFO Karen J. Holcom sold 4,974 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 21,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,655,557.29. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Laura O'shaughnessy bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at $880,350.78. The trade was a 47.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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.