Boston Trust Walden Corp Has $70.82 Million Position in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 252,731 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,324 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp’s holdings in Acuity were worth $70,820,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Acuity in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Acuity in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Acuity during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Acuity in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Laura O’shaughnessy bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 3,111 shares in the company, valued at $880,350.78. This trade represents a 47.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Maya Leibman bought 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 400 shares in the company, valued at $115,532. The trade was a 100.00% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 2.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Acuity Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:AYI opened at $359.35 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $304.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $307.56. Acuity, Inc. has a one year low of $257.04 and a one year high of $380.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.76 billion, a PE ratio of 23.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.27.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.17 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion. Acuity had a return on equity of 20.26% and a net margin of 10.25%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.12 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AYI shares. Weiss Ratings raised Acuity from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.17.

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.