Vest Financial LLC Buys 5,271 Shares of Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in Acuity, Inc. (AYI) by 56.6% in Q4, purchasing 5,271 additional shares to hold 14,583 shares valued at about $5.25 million.
• Director Laura O'Shaughnessy bought 1,000 shares at an average price of $282.98 on April 8, raising her holding to 3,111 shares, and company insiders now own roughly 2.90% of the stock.
• Analysts are generally positive with a MarketBeat average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target of $369.17, though several firms (including Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo and Goldman) have recently trimmed price targets.

Vest Financial LLC grew its stake in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) by 56.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,583 shares of the electronics maker's stock after purchasing an additional 5,271 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Acuity were worth $5,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of AYI. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Acuity by 8,338.5% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,097 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 1,084 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Acuity by 17.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 76,543 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $20,158,000 after purchasing an additional 11,144 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Acuity by 372.7% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 208 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. grew its position in shares of Acuity by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,134 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $637,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in Acuity during the 2nd quarter valued at about $762,000. Institutional investors own 98.21% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Laura O'shaughnessy bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $282.98 per share, for a total transaction of $282,980.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 3,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at $880,350.78. This trade represents a 47.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AYI shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. Wall Street Zen raised Acuity from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, April 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Acuity presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $369.17.

Acuity Trading Up 1.3%

Acuity stock opened at $288.93 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Acuity, Inc. has a one year low of $234.98 and a one year high of $380.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.76 billion, a PE ratio of 21.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.42. The business's fifty day moving average is $282.53 and its 200 day moving average is $325.42.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. Acuity's payout ratio is presently 5.87%.

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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