Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for Acuity Earnings

Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Acuity in a note issued to investors on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the electronics maker will earn $5.14 per share for the quarter, down from their previous 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.

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

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Acuity from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, June 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Acuity in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.17.

Acuity Stock Performance

AYI opened at $326.54 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $315.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $304.90. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market cap of $9.78 billion, a PE ratio of 21.65, 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.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Acuity

In related news, Director Maya Leibman acquired 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $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 SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Acuity

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AYI. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Acuity by 8,338.5% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,097 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $289,000 after buying an additional 1,084 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Acuity by 17.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 76,543 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $20,158,000 after buying an additional 11,144 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Acuity by 372.7% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 208 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its stake in shares of Acuity by 1.8% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,134 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $637,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Acuity in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $762,000. 98.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Acuity News

Here are the key news stories impacting Acuity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research increased multiple longer-term EPS estimates for Acuity, including FY2027 to $20.26, FY2028 to $21.96, Q3 2027 to $5.53, Q4 2027 to $5.60, and Q3 2028 to $6.03, signaling higher profit expectations. Acuity analyst estimate updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Some near-term forecasts were essentially unchanged or only slightly adjusted, including Q2 2028 EPS at $4.77 and Q1 2027 at $4.82, indicating no major shift in the short-term outlook. Acuity analyst estimate updates
• Negative Sentiment: A few estimates were cut, including Q4 2026 EPS to $5.14 from $5.23 and Q2 2027 EPS to $4.31 from $4.40, which may temper enthusiasm around the near-term earnings trajectory. Acuity analyst estimate updates

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.