UBS Group AG Acquires 83,936 Shares of Acuity, Inc. $AYI

UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 37.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 308,665 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after buying an additional 83,936 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Acuity were worth $111,132,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Acuity by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 1,054 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new stake in Acuity in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,019,000. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in Acuity by 19.5% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,839 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $3,902,000 after acquiring an additional 1,770 shares in the last quarter. Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP purchased a new stake in Acuity in the 4th quarter worth approximately $303,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in Acuity by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 24,621 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $8,865,000 after acquiring an additional 2,230 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Acuity Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of AYI opened at $289.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Acuity, Inc. has a 1 year low of $242.56 and a 1 year high of $380.17. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $281.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $324.90. The firm has a market cap of $8.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.32.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Acuity

In related news, Director Laura O’shaughnessy acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $282.98 per share, with a total value of $282,980.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,111 shares in the company, valued at $880,350.78. This represents a 47.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Friday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Acuity from $342.00 to $295.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Acuity from $425.00 to $410.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $369.17.

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.