Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Takes Position in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,926 shares of the electronics maker’s stock, valued at approximately $1,479,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AYI. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Acuity during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,121,983,000. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $676,764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263,925 shares during the period. Durable Capital Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Acuity by 9.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 113,720 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Acuity by 8.2% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 635,160 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $177,970,000 after purchasing an additional 47,880 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of Acuity by 10.1% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 633,060 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $218,071,000 after purchasing an additional 58,085 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Acuity Stock Performance

AYI stock opened at $343.66 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a market capitalization of $10.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.29. Acuity, Inc. has a 12 month low of $257.04 and a 12 month high of $380.17. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $339.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $307.82.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.17 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.18 billion. Acuity had a net margin of 10.25% and a return on equity of 20.26%. Acuity’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.12 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 17th. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on AYI. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Oppenheimer set a $465.00 price objective on shares of Acuity in a research note on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price 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 note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Acuity from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Acuity presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.17.

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.