Triodos Investment Management BV Cuts Stake in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Triodos Investment Management BV lowered its position in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 73,000 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 2,500 shares during the quarter. Acuity accounts for about 1.9% of Triodos Investment Management BV’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Triodos Investment Management BV’s holdings in Acuity were worth $26,639,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AYI. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Acuity during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its position in Acuity by 59.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 113 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AYI has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Acuity from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $369.17.

Acuity Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of Acuity stock opened at $305.01 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The company has a 50-day moving average of $284.13 and a 200 day moving average of $314.86. The firm has a market cap of $9.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.36, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.32. Acuity, Inc. has a 1 year low of $253.03 and a 1 year high of $380.17.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 2nd. The electronics maker reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.11 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. Acuity had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 20.74%. Acuity’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.45 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.87%.

Insider Transactions at Acuity

In other news, Director Laura O’shaughnessy acquired 1,000 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $282.98 per share, for a total transaction of $282,980.00. Following the purchase, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Maya Leibman acquired 200 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were 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 owned 400 shares in the company, valued at $115,532. This represents a 100.00% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.