New York State Teachers Retirement System Increases Stock Position in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 5.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,196 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,857 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Acuity were worth $9,582,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Acuity in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Acuity during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Acuity during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Acuity in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Acuity Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AYI traded down $12.52 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $341.71. 47,534 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 443,901. Acuity, Inc. has a twelve month low of $257.04 and a twelve month high of $380.17. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $306.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $307.53. The stock has a market cap of $10.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.66, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.27.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.17 by $0.14. Acuity had a net margin of 10.25% and a return on equity of 20.26%. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.12 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Acuity news, Director Maya Leibman acquired 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $288.83 per share, with a total value of $57,766.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $115,532. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Laura O’shaughnessy acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $880,350.78. The trade was a 47.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Oppenheimer set a $465.00 target price on shares of Acuity in a report on Friday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Acuity from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.17.

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.