Fisher Asset Management LLC Has $121.73 Million Position in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Fisher Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 338,104 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 21,177 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Acuity were worth $121,731,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,263,925 shares during the period. Durable Capital Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Acuity by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,363,619 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $469,617,000 after acquiring an additional 113,720 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Acuity by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 815,050 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $280,695,000 after acquiring an additional 17,011 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AYI shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Acuity from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price 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. 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, Acuity presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $369.17.

Acuity Stock Performance

AYI opened at $287.80 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $281.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $316.25. Acuity, Inc. has a 1-year low of $253.03 and a 1-year high of $380.17. The company has a market cap of $8.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.10, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.32.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last released 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. Acuity had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio is 5.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Acuity

In other news, Director Laura O’shaughnessy bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $282.98 per share, for a total transaction of $282,980.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $880,350.78. This trade represents a 47.37% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Maya Leibman bought 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $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.

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.