Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $397.1667.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen raised Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday. Oppenheimer set a $465.00 target price on Acuity in a research note on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st.

Acuity Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:AYI opened at $332.26 on Tuesday. Acuity has a one year low of $257.04 and a one year high of $380.17. The company has a market cap of $9.95 billion, a PE ratio of 22.03, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $343.02 and a 200-day moving average of $308.38.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.17 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.18 billion. Acuity had a net margin of 10.25% and a return on equity of 20.26%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.12 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Acuity will post 18.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.31%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Acuity

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Acuity during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Acuity in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. 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.