Norges Bank Invests $138.75 Million in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 385,365 shares of the electronics maker’s stock, valued at approximately $138,747,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.26% of Acuity at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in Acuity during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Acuity in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Acuity in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Acuity during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Acuity by 59.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 113 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on AYI shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Acuity from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings cut Acuity from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $369.17.

Acuity Price Performance

NYSE AYI opened at $308.25 on Friday. Acuity, Inc. has a 1 year low of $257.04 and a 1 year high of $380.17. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $287.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $313.23. 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 company has a market cap of $9.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.31.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 2nd. The electronics maker reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.11 by $0.03. Acuity had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.45 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.06 EPS for the current year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Acuity’s payout ratio is presently 5.87%.

Insider Activity

In other Acuity news, Director Laura O’shaughnessy bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $282.98 per share, for a total transaction of $282,980.00. Following the purchase, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Maya Leibman bought 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $288.83 per share, with a total value of $57,766.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 400 shares in the company, valued at $115,532. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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.