Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Invests $4.11 Million in Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE:AYI)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE:AYI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 14,051 shares of the electronics maker's stock, valued at approximately $4,105,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AYI. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Acuity Brands by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,110 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $581,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Acuity Brands by 479.2% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 307 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group acquired a new stake in shares of Acuity Brands during the 4th quarter worth about $290,000. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acuity Brands during the 4th quarter worth about $202,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in Acuity Brands in the 4th quarter valued at about $516,000. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Acuity Brands Price Performance

Acuity Brands stock traded up $1.39 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $273.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 145,626 shares, compared to its average volume of 303,607. The stock has a market cap of $8.44 billion, a PE ratio of 20.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Acuity Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $216.81 and a 52 week high of $345.30. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $251.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $293.32.

Acuity Brands (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The electronics maker reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.67 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.03 billion. Acuity Brands had a return on equity of 19.98% and a net margin of 11.11%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.38 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Acuity Brands, Inc. will post 15.86 EPS for the current year.

Acuity Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 18th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. Acuity Brands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AYI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Acuity Brands from $290.00 to $275.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 price objective on shares of Acuity Brands in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Acuity Brands from $310.00 to $295.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Acuity Brands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $317.60.

Acuity Brands Profile

Acuity Brands, Inc provides lighting, lighting controls, building management system, location-aware applications in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Acuity Brands Lighting and Lighting Controls (ABL); and the Intelligent Spaces Group (ISG). The ABL segment provides commercial, architectural, and specialty lighting solutions, as well as lighting controls and components for various indoor and outdoor applications under the A-Light, Aculux, American Electric Lighting, Cyclone, Dark to Light, eldoLED, Eureka, Gotham, Healthcare Lighting, Holophane, Hydrel, Indy, IOTA, Juno, Lithonia Lighting, Luminaire LED, Luminis, Mark Architectural Lighting, nLight, OPTOTRONIC, Peerless, RELOCWiring Solutions, and Sensor Switch.