Evolve Private Wealth LLC Invests $4.07 Million in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Evolve Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 11,307 shares of the electronics maker’s stock, valued at approximately $4,071,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $676,764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263,925 shares during the last quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Acuity by 9.1% in the third 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 in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Acuity by 2.1% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 815,050 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $280,695,000 after acquiring an additional 17,011 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in Acuity by 6,496.7% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 692,189 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $249,216,000 after acquiring an additional 681,696 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners grew its stake in Acuity by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 633,060 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $218,071,000 after acquiring an additional 58,085 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Acuity Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE AYI opened at $305.59 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $291.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $309.73. Acuity, Inc. has a 1 year low of $257.04 and a 1 year high of $380.17.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 2nd. The electronics maker reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.11 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. Acuity had a return on equity of 20.74% and a net margin of 9.37%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.45 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AYI shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Acuity from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Acuity from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Acuity currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $369.17.

Insider Transactions at Acuity

In other Acuity news, Director Laura O’shaughnessy acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was purchased 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 $880,350.78. This trade represents a 47.37% 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 Maya Leibman acquired 200 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction that occurred 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 acquisition, the director owned 400 shares in the company, valued at $115,532. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.