Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for Acuity Earnings

Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) – Zacks Research cut their Q4 2026 earnings estimates for Acuity in a research report issued on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the electronics maker will post earnings of $5.14 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $5.23. The consensus estimate for Acuity’s current full-year earnings is $18.44 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Acuity’s Q2 2027 earnings at $4.31 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $5.60 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $20.26 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $5.09 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $4.77 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $6.03 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $21.96 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on AYI. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings raised Acuity from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Acuity in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Acuity presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $397.17.

Acuity Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:AYI opened at $331.82 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.93 billion, a PE ratio of 22.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.27. Acuity has a 1 year low of $257.04 and a 1 year high of $380.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $316.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $304.70. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.17 by $0.14. Acuity had a net margin of 10.25% and a return on equity of 20.26%. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.12 EPS. Acuity’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Acuity

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in Acuity in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acuity in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Acuity in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Acuity in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new position in Acuity during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Acuity

In other news, Director Maya Leibman purchased 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $288.83 per share, for a total transaction of $57,766.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $115,532. The trade was a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Acuity’s payout ratio is currently 5.31%.

Acuity News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Acuity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research lifted Acuity’s FY2027 EPS estimate to $20.26 from $20.07 and FY2028 EPS to $21.96 from $21.77, suggesting stronger longer-term earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also raised its Q3 2027 estimate to $5.53 from $5.32 and Q4 2027 estimate to $5.60 from $5.57, indicating continued confidence in near-term performance.
• Positive Sentiment: Several revised estimates remain above the current full-year consensus of $18.44 EPS, reinforcing the view that Acuity may outperform expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed a few quarterly estimates, including Q4 2026 to $5.14 from $5.23, Q2 2027 to $4.31 from $4.40, and Q1 2028 to $5.09 from $5.11, which slightly tempers the overall bullish tone.

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.