Acuity (NYSE:AYI) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.11 EPS

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The electronics maker reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.20 by $0.11, FiscalAI reports. Acuity had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion.

Acuity Price Performance

Shares of Acuity stock opened at $307.75 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Acuity has a one year low of $257.04 and a one year high of $380.17. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $294.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $307.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.31.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Maya Leibman bought 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $288.83 per share, for a total transaction of $57,766.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $115,532. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Laura O’shaughnessy bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $282.98 per share, for a total transaction of $282,980.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 3,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $880,350.78. This trade represents a 47.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Acuity

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Acuity by 50,220.2% during the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,268,433 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $676,764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263,925 shares during the period. Durable Capital Partners LP grew its position in shares of Acuity by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,363,619 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $469,617,000 after buying an additional 113,720 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its position in shares of Acuity by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 633,060 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $218,071,000 after buying an additional 58,085 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its stake in shares of Acuity by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 549,659 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $197,899,000 after buying an additional 41,226 shares during the period. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Acuity by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 479,177 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $172,523,000 after buying an additional 2,499 shares during the period. 98.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.