M&T Bank Corp Grows Holdings in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

M&T Bank Corp raised its position in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 6,496.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 692,189 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 681,696 shares during the period. Acuity comprises about 0.7% of M&T Bank Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Acuity were worth $249,216,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lifted its holdings in Acuity by 25.6% in the 3rd quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 152 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Acuity by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 6,269 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $2,159,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Illumine Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Acuity by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Illumine Investment Management LLC now owns 2,872 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $989,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in Acuity by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 5,577 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $1,921,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Acuity by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 617 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Acuity Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE AYI opened at $296.34 on Wednesday. Acuity, Inc. has a one year low of $229.76 and a one year high of $380.17. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $284.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $327.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.73, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.87%.

Insider Activity at Acuity

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 shares were sold at an average price of $309.23, for a total value of $1,538,110.02. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 21,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,655,557.29. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Laura O’shaughnessy purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $282.98 per share, for a total transaction of $282,980.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $880,350.78. This trade represents a 47.37% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Acuity News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Acuity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Broker consensus: Several brokerages give AYI a “Moderate Buy” consensus, which can support demand from momentum and institutional buyers. Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Small upward tweak: Zacks nudged Q3 2027 EPS marginally higher (from $5.31 to $5.32) — a tiny positive datapoint but unlikely by itself to move consensus materially. MarketBeat Zacks coverage (AYI)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple downward EPS revisions from Zacks: analysts cut quarterly and annual EPS forecasts across 2026–2028 (notably Q3 2026, Q4 2026, FY2026; Q1–Q2 2027; FY2027; Q1–Q2 2028; FY2028). These downgrades lower near-term earnings expectations and can pressure the stock if investors reprice growth and valuations. MarketBeat Zacks coverage (AYI)
• Negative Sentiment: Magnitude and trajectory: Zacks trimmed FY2026 (to $18.33 from $18.53), FY2027 (to $20.07 from $20.37) and FY2028 (to $21.77 from $22.21) — the consistency of cuts suggests Zacks sees weaker near-term demand or margin pressure versus prior assumptions. That typically weighs on forward P/E and investor sentiment. MarketBeat Zacks coverage (AYI)

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AYI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Friday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective 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. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $369.17.

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.