Strategic Global Advisors LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Key Points

• Strategic Global Advisors LLC cut its Acuity stake by 45.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,690 shares and ending with 4,485 shares valued at about $1.6 million.
• Several insiders bought shares recently, including Director Laura O'shaughnessy and Director Maya Leibman, while insiders collectively own 2.9% of the company.
• Analysts remain mixed but generally positive: Acuity has a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $369.17, though multiple firms recently trimmed their targets or downgraded the stock.

Strategic Global Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 45.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,485 shares of the electronics maker's stock after selling 3,690 shares during the period. Strategic Global Advisors LLC's holdings in Acuity were worth $1,615,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in Acuity by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 15,494 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $5,579,000 after acquiring an additional 1,967 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC grew its position in Acuity by 66.3% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 12,841 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $4,627,000 after acquiring an additional 5,118 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in Acuity by 126.6% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,263 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $3,653,000 after acquiring an additional 5,733 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in Acuity in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,028,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Acuity by 27.1% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 113,765 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $40,960,000 after acquiring an additional 24,258 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Acuity

In related news, Director Laura O'shaughnessy acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 in the company, valued at $880,350.78. This represents a 47.37% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Maya Leibman acquired 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $288.83 per share, with a total value of $57,766.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $115,532. This represents a 100.00% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Acuity Stock Performance

Shares of Acuity stock opened at $296.89 on Monday. Acuity, Inc. has a one year low of $257.04 and a one year high of $380.17. The company has a market cap of $9.00 billion, a PE ratio of 21.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.31. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $289.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $311.00.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 2nd. The electronics maker reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.11 by $0.03. Acuity had a return on equity of 20.74% and a net margin of 9.37%.The business 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 company posted $2.45 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

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

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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