Algert Global LLC Buys 10,767 Shares of Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Algert Global LLC lifted its stake in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 71.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 25,927 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,767 shares during the quarter. Algert Global LLC owned 0.08% of Acuity worth $8,929,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AYI. Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Acuity during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Acuity by 122.2% during the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in Acuity by 5,200.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 106 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new stake in Acuity in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on AYI shares. Robert W. Baird set a $375.00 price target on shares of Acuity in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut Acuity from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $389.33.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Karen J. Holcom sold 4,974 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.23, for a total value of $1,538,110.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 21,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,655,557.29. This represents a 18.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Acuity Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AYI opened at $264.48 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $308.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $338.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.50. Acuity, Inc. has a one year low of $216.81 and a one year high of $380.17.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 8th. The electronics maker reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.24. Acuity had a net margin of 9.04% and a return on equity of 20.97%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.97 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Acuity, Inc. will post 15.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. This is an increase from Acuity’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.15%.

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.