Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) Short Interest Down 20.9% in February

Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) saw a large drop in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 798,928 shares, a drop of 20.9% from the February 12th total of 1,009,472 shares. Currently, 2.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 418,050 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 418,050 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days. Currently, 2.7% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Acuity Stock Performance

Shares of Acuity stock traded up $2.76 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $260.55. 368,851 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 475,173. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.04, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.50. Acuity has a 12-month low of $216.81 and a 12-month high of $380.17. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $310.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $339.37.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last posted its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Acuity had a return on equity of 20.97% and a net margin of 9.04%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.97 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Acuity will post 15.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. This is a boost from Acuity’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Acuity from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Acuity from $425.00 to $410.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Acuity from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $389.33.

Insider Activity at Acuity

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 value of $1,538,110.02. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 21,523 shares in the company, valued at $6,655,557.29. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Acuity

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its stake in Acuity by 50,220.2% in the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,268,433 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $676,764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263,925 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of Acuity by 6,496.7% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 692,189 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $249,216,000 after purchasing an additional 681,696 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Acuity during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $119,587,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Acuity during the second quarter valued at approximately $115,595,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Acuity by 98.4% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 571,017 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $196,653,000 after acquiring an additional 283,203 shares in the last quarter. 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.