Zacks Research Comments on Acuity’s Q3 Earnings (NYSE:AYI)

Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) – Zacks Research cut their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for Acuity in a report issued on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the electronics maker will post earnings of $4.91 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $5.04. The consensus estimate for Acuity’s current full-year earnings is $18.09 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Acuity’s Q4 2026 earnings at $5.23 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $18.33 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $4.77 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $4.40 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $5.32 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $20.07 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $5.11 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $4.76 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $21.77 EPS.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on AYI. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Acuity from $425.00 to $410.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Five investment 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 has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $369.17.

Acuity Stock Down 0.1%

Acuity stock opened at $296.34 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Acuity has a 1-year low of $229.76 and a 1-year high of $380.17. The company has a market cap of $8.99 billion, a PE ratio of 21.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $284.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $327.66.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.87%.

Insider Transactions at Acuity

In related news, CFO Karen J. Holcom sold 4,974 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Laura O’shaughnessy bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 3,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $880,350.78. The trade was a 47.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Acuity

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AYI. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Acuity by 8,338.5% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,097 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 1,084 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Acuity by 17.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 76,543 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $20,158,000 after acquiring an additional 11,144 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Acuity by 372.7% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 208 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its position in shares of Acuity by 1.8% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,134 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $637,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity in the second quarter worth about $762,000. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Acuity News

Here are the key news stories impacting Acuity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Small upside revision: Zacks bumped its Q3 2027 EPS view slightly to $5.32 from $5.31, a token improvement for that quarter. MarketBeat: AYI Zacks estimate changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published a comprehensive update covering Q3/Q4 2026 through FY2028 (full set of quarter and year estimates), so investors now have refreshed guidance drivers to compare against Acuity’s results and management commentary. MarketBeat: AYI Zacks estimate changes
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple downward revisions to near‑term quarters: Zacks cut Q3 2026 to $4.91 (from $5.04), Q4 2026 to $5.23 (from $5.30), Q1 2027 to $4.77 (from $4.80) and sharply cut Q2 2027 to $4.40 (from $4.69). These trims suggest softer demand or margin pressure in 2026–2027 and are likely weighing on sentiment. MarketBeat: AYI Zacks estimate changes
• Negative Sentiment: Downward revisions to full‑year estimates: Zacks lowered FY2026 to $18.33 (from $18.53), FY2027 to $20.07 (from $20.37) and FY2028 to $21.77 (from $22.21). Lower multi‑year EPS paths can pressure valuation multiples and investor expectations. MarketBeat: AYI Zacks estimate changes

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.