J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Cuts Stake in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lessened its holdings in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 83.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,899 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 25,266 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Acuity were worth $1,371,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Acuity by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 617 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of Acuity by 1.8% during the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,134 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $637,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Acuity by 1.6% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,488 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $857,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Acuity by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 6,805 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $2,450,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Acuity by 59.2% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 113 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Acuity Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of AYI opened at $327.84 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $311.78 and its 200 day moving average is $306.16. Acuity, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $257.04 and a fifty-two week high of $380.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.82 billion, a PE ratio of 21.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.17 by $0.14. Acuity had a net margin of 10.25% and a return on equity of 20.26%. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.12 earnings per share. Acuity’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.31%.

Insider Activity

In other Acuity news, Director Maya Leibman purchased 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $288.83 per share, with a total value of $57,766.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $115,532. The trade was a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AYI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer set a $465.00 target price on shares of Acuity in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, June 21st. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $397.17.

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.