Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Increases Stock Holdings in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 499.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 164,275 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 136,879 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Acuity were worth $59,145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its stake in Acuity by 50,220.2% in the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,268,433 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $676,764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263,925 shares during the last quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP increased its stake in Acuity by 9.1% in the third quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,363,619 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $469,617,000 after purchasing an additional 113,720 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Acuity by 2.1% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 815,050 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $280,695,000 after purchasing an additional 17,011 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in Acuity by 6,496.7% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 692,189 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $249,216,000 after purchasing an additional 681,696 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners increased its stake in Acuity by 10.1% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 633,060 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $218,071,000 after purchasing an additional 58,085 shares during the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Acuity Stock Performance

Shares of AYI opened at $281.38 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $8.53 billion, a PE ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.32. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $280.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $320.01. Acuity, Inc. has a 12-month low of $253.03 and a 12-month high of $380.17.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 2nd. The electronics maker reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.11 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. Acuity had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.45 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.06 EPS for the current year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Acuity

In related news, Director Laura O’shaughnessy purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,111 shares in the company, valued at $880,350.78. This trade represents a 47.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Maya Leibman purchased 200 shares of the firm’s 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 acquisition, the director owned 400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $115,532. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 2.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AYI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Acuity from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Five equities 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.com, Acuity presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $369.17.

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.