Intech Investment Management LLC Buys 11,341 Shares of Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 57.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,233 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,341 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Acuity were worth $11,245,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP increased its position in shares of Acuity by 53.3% during the fourth quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 1,038 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Acuity by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 570,088 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $205,296,000 after acquiring an additional 20,859 shares in the last quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas increased its position in shares of Acuity by 114.4% during the fourth quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 328 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $118,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in shares of Acuity by 180.9% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 8,823 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $3,177,000 after acquiring an additional 5,682 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Acuity by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 6,411 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $2,308,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Acuity Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of AYI stock opened at $305.01 on Friday. Acuity, Inc. has a 52-week low of $253.03 and a 52-week high of $380.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.07. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $284.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $314.86. The company has a market capitalization of $9.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.36, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.32.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 2nd. The electronics maker reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.11 by $0.03. Acuity had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.45 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Acuity from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Acuity has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $369.17.

Insider Transactions at Acuity

In other news, Director Laura O’shaughnessy acquired 1,000 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $880,350.78. This trade represents a 47.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Maya Leibman bought 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was bought at an average price of $288.83 per share, for a total transaction of $57,766.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $115,532. The trade was a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Acuity 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.