Intech Investment Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Intech Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 40.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,892 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 13,744 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC owned about 0.06% of Acuity worth $6,851,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new stake in Acuity in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Acuity by 1,100.0% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Acuity by 122.2% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Acuity news, CFO Karen J. Holcom sold 4,974 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.23, for a total transaction of $1,538,110.02. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 21,523 shares in the company, valued at $6,655,557.29. This represents a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Acuity Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:AYI opened at $301.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $9.24 billion, a PE ratio of 23.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $329.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $342.54. The company has a current ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Acuity, Inc. has a 12-month low of $216.81 and a 12-month high of $380.17.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 8th. The electronics maker reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Acuity had a net margin of 9.04% and a return on equity of 20.97%. The firm’s revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.97 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Acuity, Inc. will post 15.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 2nd were issued a $0.20 dividend. This is an increase from Acuity’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AYI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Acuity from $425.00 to $410.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Acuity from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $375.00 price target on shares of Acuity in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Acuity from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Acuity has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $395.17.

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.