Quantbot Technologies LP Boosts Stock Position in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 14.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,241 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after buying an additional 1,851 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Acuity were worth $4,904,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Acuity by 50,220.2% in the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,268,433 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $676,764,000 after acquiring an additional 2,263,925 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Acuity in the second quarter valued at about $119,587,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity during the second quarter worth about $115,595,000. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Acuity by 64.0% during the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 574,975 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $171,580,000 after purchasing an additional 224,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Durable Capital Partners LP raised its position in shares of Acuity by 13.8% during the 2nd quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,249,899 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $372,895,000 after purchasing an additional 151,414 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

Acuity Stock Performance

NYSE AYI opened at $301.27 on Monday. Acuity, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $216.81 and a fifty-two week high of $380.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.50. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $329.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $342.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 2.07.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 8th. The electronics maker reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.24. Acuity had a return on equity of 20.97% and a net margin of 9.04%.The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.97 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Acuity, Inc. will post 15.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Acuity Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were paid a $0.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Acuity’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on AYI. Wall Street Zen cut Acuity from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $375.00 target price on Acuity in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Acuity from $425.00 to $410.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Acuity presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $395.17.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Karen J. Holcom sold 4,974 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.23, for a total transaction of $1,538,110.02. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 21,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,655,557.29. The trade was a 18.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.