Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.20

Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of 0.20 per share by the electronics maker on Friday, May 1st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th.

Acuity has raised its dividend by an average of 0.0%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 3 consecutive years. Acuity has a dividend payout ratio of 4.2% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Acuity to earn $17.42 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 4.6%.

Acuity Stock Down 5.0%

Shares of NYSE AYI opened at $270.60 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.50. Acuity has a 52 week low of $216.81 and a 52 week high of $380.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $298.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $335.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 8th. The electronics maker reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.24. Acuity had a net margin of 9.04% and a return on equity of 20.97%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.97 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Acuity will post 15.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Karen J. Holcom sold 4,974 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.23, for a total value of $1,538,110.02. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 21,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,655,557.29. This represents a 18.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Acuity

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Acuity during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new position in Acuity in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Acuity in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Acuity in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Acuity during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. 98.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.