KBC Group NV Acquires 17,143 Shares of Acuity, Inc. $AYI

KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 222.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 24,842 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,143 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Acuity were worth $6,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Acuity by 50,220.2% in the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,268,433 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $676,764,000 after buying an additional 2,263,925 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings 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 worth $249,216,000 after acquiring an additional 681,696 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Acuity during the 4th quarter worth approximately $138,747,000. Palestra Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Acuity in the 3rd quarter valued at $91,539,000. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. bought a new stake in Acuity in the 4th quarter valued at $78,249,000. Institutional investors own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

Acuity Stock Performance

AYI opened at $331.82 on Thursday. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $316.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $304.70. Acuity, Inc. has a 1 year low of $257.04 and a 1 year high of $380.17. The company has a market capitalization of $9.93 billion, a PE ratio of 22.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.27.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.17 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.18 billion. Acuity had a return on equity of 20.26% and a net margin of 10.25%.The company’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.12 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.44 EPS for the current year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on AYI. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Acuity in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $397.17.

Acuity News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Acuity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research lifted Acuity’s FY2027 EPS estimate to $20.26 from $20.07 and FY2028 EPS to $21.96 from $21.77, suggesting stronger longer-term earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also raised its Q3 2027 estimate to $5.53 from $5.32 and Q4 2027 estimate to $5.60 from $5.57, indicating continued confidence in near-term performance.
• Positive Sentiment: Several revised estimates remain above the current full-year consensus of $18.44 EPS, reinforcing the view that Acuity may outperform expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed a few quarterly estimates, including Q4 2026 to $5.14 from $5.23, Q2 2027 to $4.31 from $4.40, and Q1 2028 to $5.09 from $5.11, which slightly tempers the overall bullish tone.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Acuity news, Director Maya Leibman acquired 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 acquisition, the director directly owned 400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $115,532. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.90% of the stock is owned by company 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.