Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $395.1667.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AYI. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Acuity from $365.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Monday, December 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Acuity from $312.00 to $356.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Acuity from $330.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Acuity from $380.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd.

Insider Activity at Acuity

In related news, SVP Barry R. Goldman sold 4,687 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.01, for a total transaction of $1,724,862.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 10,545 shares in the company, valued at $3,880,665.45. This trade represents a 30.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Acuity in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Acuity by 1,100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Acuity in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Acuity by 122.2% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in shares of Acuity by 5,200.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 106 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Acuity Stock Performance

NYSE:AYI opened at $368.29 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $361.75 and its 200-day moving average is $331.54. The company has a market cap of $11.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.39, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.95. Acuity has a 52-week low of $216.81 and a 52-week high of $379.17.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 1st. The electronics maker reported $5.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.84 by $0.36. Acuity had a net margin of 9.13% and a return on equity of 20.81%. The business had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. Acuity has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.000-20.500 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Acuity will post 15.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 17th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 17th. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.43%.

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.