Krilogy Financial LLC Takes Position in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Krilogy Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,643 shares of the electronics maker’s stock, valued at approximately $597,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Acuity during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Acuity by 1,100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Acuity during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Acuity by 122.2% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Acuity by 5,200.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 106 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Acuity Stock Down 2.3%

NYSE:AYI opened at $305.91 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $340.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $342.95. Acuity, Inc. has a one year low of $216.81 and a one year high of $380.17. The company has a market capitalization of $9.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.50. 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) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 8th. The electronics maker reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.24. Acuity had a return on equity of 20.97% and a net margin of 9.04%.The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.97 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Acuity, Inc. will post 15.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. This is a positive change from Acuity’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.15%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Karen J. Holcom sold 4,974 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.23, for a total value of $1,538,110.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 21,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,655,557.29. The trade was a 18.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on AYI. Robert W. Baird set a $375.00 target price on shares of Acuity in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Acuity from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Acuity in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Acuity from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Acuity has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $395.17.

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.