Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI – Free Report) by 4.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,028 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,623 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.22% of Acuity worth $19,063,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new position in shares of Acuity in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,019,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in Acuity by 499.6% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 164,275 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $59,145,000 after buying an additional 136,879 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its position in Acuity by 37.3% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 308,665 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $111,132,000 after buying an additional 83,936 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Acuity by 120.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,820 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $5,177,000 after acquiring an additional 7,543 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension purchased a new position in shares of Acuity in the fourth quarter valued at about $22,572,000. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Acuity Price Performance
Shares of NYSE AYI opened at $331.82 on Thursday. Acuity, Inc. has a 1 year low of $257.04 and a 1 year high of $380.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The company’s 50-day moving average is $316.73 and its 200 day moving average is $304.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.27.
Acuity Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Acuity’s payout ratio is currently 5.31%.
Key Stories Impacting Acuity
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.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities analysts have recently commented on AYI shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Acuity in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Oppenheimer set a $465.00 price target on Acuity in a report on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings raised Acuity from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Acuity currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.17.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on AYI
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, Director Maya Leibman purchased 200 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $288.83 per share, with a total value of $57,766.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $115,532. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by 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.
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