Robert W. Baird Cuts Acuity (NYSE:AYI) Price Target to $360.00

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) had its target price lowered by Robert W. Baird from $390.00 to $360.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the electronics maker’s stock.

AYI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Acuity in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 30th. William Blair cut Acuity from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $392.60.

Acuity Stock Performance

NYSE AYI opened at $299.01 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The company has a market cap of $8.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $330.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $311.65. Acuity has a 1-year low of $257.04 and a 1-year high of $380.17.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The electronics maker reported $5.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.57 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $1.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.24 billion. Acuity had a net margin of 10.25% and a return on equity of 20.26%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.20 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Acuity will post 18.45 EPS for the current year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Acuity

In other news, CFO Karen Holcom sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.62, for a total transaction of $659,240.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 17,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,750,880.14. This trade represents a 10.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Acuity

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AYI. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Acuity by 61.6% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,260 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $5,748,000 after buying an additional 5,816 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its position in shares of Acuity by 79.9% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 1,732 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Acuity by 40.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,495 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $940,000 after buying an additional 719 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in Acuity by 82.2% during the 2nd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,912 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $1,097,000 after acquiring an additional 1,314 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Acuity by 38.2% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,566 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $1,343,000 after acquiring an additional 986 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Acuity

Here are the key news stories impacting Acuity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Acuity reported fiscal 2026 fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $5.77 per share, above the $5.53 consensus estimate, while earnings increased from $5.20 a year earlier. Full-year results also highlighted improved operating performance and strong cash flow. Acuity Beats Q4 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue rose 2.9% year over year to approximately $1.24 billion, and management forecast fiscal 2027 sales of $4.7 billion to $4.9 billion and adjusted EPS of $20.50 to $22.00, signaling expectations for continued expansion. Acuity Reports Fiscal 2026 Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year Results
• Neutral Sentiment: The quarter extended Acuity’s long record of earnings beats according to market coverage, but investors are weighing the quality and pace of growth across its lighting and other businesses. Acuity Earnings Beat Streak
• Negative Sentiment: Core lighting revenue modestly missed expectations, making the top-line performance less reassuring even though adjusted EPS exceeded forecasts. Another reported measure showed EPS of $5.51 versus a $5.57 consensus estimate, reflecting differences between GAAP and adjusted results. Acuity Stock Following Q4 Revenue Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Management flagged roughly 200 basis points of fiscal 2027 margin pressure from higher AIS memory costs, which could constrain profitability despite the earnings outlook. William Blair also downgraded AYI to Hold, citing a softening lighting market and uncertainty over whether weakness is cyclical or structural. Acuity Fiscal 2027 Forecast

Acuity Company Profile

Acuity (NYSE: AYI) is a technology company that provides lighting, lighting controls and building-management solutions for commercial, institutional, industrial and residential environments. Its products are designed to improve illumination, energy efficiency, automation and the overall performance of indoor and outdoor spaces.

The company offers a broad portfolio of lighting fixtures, controls, sensors and connected-building technologies. Its brands and product lines have included Lithonia Lighting, Holophane, Peerless, SensorSwitch, Distech Controls and Atrius.