140 Summer Partners LP Invests $16.36 Million in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

140 Summer Partners LP bought a new stake in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 47,500 shares of the electronics maker’s stock, valued at approximately $16,359,000. Acuity accounts for about 1.4% of 140 Summer Partners LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. 140 Summer Partners LP owned 0.16% of Acuity as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Karen J. Holcom sold 4,974 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 21,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,655,557.29. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Acuity Price Performance

Shares of AYI opened at $260.55 on Friday. Acuity, Inc. has a 52 week low of $216.81 and a 52 week high of $380.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $7.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.04, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $310.28 and a 200-day moving average of $339.37.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 8th. The electronics maker reported $4.69 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.97 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Acuity, Inc. will post 15.86 EPS for the current year.

Acuity Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AYI. Wall Street Zen lowered Acuity from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $375.00 target price on Acuity in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Acuity from $425.00 to $410.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $389.33.

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.