Robert W. Baird Lowers Acuity (NYSE:AYI) Price Target to $320.00

Key Points

• Robert W. Baird cut its price target on Acuity (NYSE:AYI) from $375 to $320 and kept a "neutral" rating, implying about a 13.2% upside from the stock's current price.
• Despite several recent target cuts, the analyst consensus remains a Moderate Buy with a mean price target around $380.17 and a mix of Buy and Hold ratings.
• Acuity beat quarterly EPS estimates ($4.69 vs. $4.45) with revenue up 20.2% year‑over‑year, and CFO Karen Holcom sold 4,974 shares at roughly $309, reducing her ownership stake.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by Robert W. Baird from $375.00 to $320.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the electronics maker's stock. Robert W. Baird's price target would suggest a potential upside of 13.18% from the stock's current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Acuity from $425.00 to $410.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Acuity in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Acuity from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Acuity presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $380.17.

Acuity Stock Performance

Shares of Acuity stock opened at $282.74 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.67 billion, a PE ratio of 21.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $299.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $336.38. Acuity has a one year low of $216.81 and a one year high of $380.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 2.07.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 8th. The electronics maker reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.14 billion. Acuity had a net margin of 9.04% and a return on equity of 20.97%. The company's revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.97 EPS. Research analysts expect that Acuity will post 15.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Acuity news, CFO Karen J. Holcom sold 4,974 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.23, for a total transaction of $1,538,110.02. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Acuity

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Acuity by 25.6% during the third quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 152 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in Acuity by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 6,269 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $2,159,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Illumine Investment Management LLC increased its position in Acuity by 1.2% during the third quarter. Illumine Investment Management LLC now owns 2,872 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $989,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co increased its position in Acuity by 0.6% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 5,577 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $1,921,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.21% of the company's stock.

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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