Acuity, Inc. $AYI Shares Sold by Swedbank AB

Swedbank AB decreased its position in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 20.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 38,637 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 9,640 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Acuity were worth $13,911,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Acuity during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Acuity during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Acuity during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Acuity during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Acuity during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Laura O’shaughnessy acquired 1,000 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $880,350.78. This trade represents a 47.37% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Maya Leibman acquired 200 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $288.83 per share, with a total value of $57,766.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly 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 SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Acuity Stock Performance

AYI stock opened at $297.31 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.80, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $282.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $315.79. Acuity, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $253.03 and a fifty-two week high of $380.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

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

Acuity Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.