CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. Acquires New Position in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 158,291 shares of the electronics maker’s stock, valued at approximately $54,514,000. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. owned approximately 0.52% of Acuity at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Acuity in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Acuity by 122.2% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of Acuity by 5,200.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 106 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Acuity by 59.2% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 113 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

Acuity Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AYI opened at $267.55 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 2.07. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $305.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $338.54. The stock has a market cap of $8.20 billion, a PE ratio of 20.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.50. Acuity, Inc. has a one year low of $216.81 and a one year high of $380.17.

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

Acuity Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on AYI shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Acuity from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. 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 research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $375.00 price target on Acuity in a report on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Acuity from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Acuity from $425.00 to $410.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $389.33.

Insider Transactions at Acuity

In other Acuity news, CFO Karen J. Holcom sold 4,974 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 21,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,655,557.29. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

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.