Acuity (NYSE:AYI) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 19.000-20.500 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 19.400. The company issued revenue guidance of $4.7 billion-$4.9 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $4.8 billion.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AYI shares. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Acuity in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Acuity from $380.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Acuity from $380.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Acuity from $330.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.67.

Acuity Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:AYI opened at $326.00 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $361.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $339.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.08, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.50. Acuity has a 52-week low of $216.81 and a 52-week high of $380.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.07.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 8th. The electronics maker reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.24. Acuity had a net margin of 9.04% and a return on equity of 20.97%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.97 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Acuity will post 15.86 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Acuity

In related news, SVP Barry R. Goldman sold 4,687 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.01, for a total transaction of $1,724,862.87. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,880,665.45. This trade represents a 30.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Acuity

Here are the key news stories impacting Acuity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — Acuity reported adjusted EPS of $4.69 (beat) and delivered ~20% net sales growth and higher adjusted operating profit, which underscores healthy demand and margin expansion. Acuity Reports Fiscal 2026 First-Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management emphasized strategic financial moves and improved adjusted diluted EPS and margins on the earnings call, supporting the thesis of profitable growth. Acuity Inc (AYI) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue came in roughly in line with expectations (~$1.14B), so top-line performance supported the beat but did not materially surprise on upside. Acuity Brands’s Q4 CY2025 Earnings Results
• Neutral Sentiment: FY26 guidance was updated to EPS $19.00–$20.50 and revenue $4.7B–$4.9B — a range that brackets the Street but introduces some uncertainty around cadence and the midpoint. Investors are parsing the range rather than seeing a crisp upside revision. (Guidance referenced in company materials and call.) Earnings Slide Deck / Call
• Negative Sentiment: Management flagged a Q2 seasonality shift and backlog normalization — items that can temper near-term growth expectations and lead investors to re-evaluate the pace of revenue recovery. Acuity signals Q2 seasonality shift and highlights 20% net sales growth amid backlog normalization
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts trimmed near-term estimates (e.g., Zacks adjustments), and commentary that the guidance range is wider than ideal added selling pressure for traders focused on precision. Acuity (AYI) Q1 Earnings: How Key Metrics Compare to Wall Street Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness (Nasdaq pullback) also weighed on sentiment for cyclical/tech-linked names like AYI, amplifying reactions to the mixed company-specific news. Nasdaq Falls Over 100 Points; Acuity Posts Upbeat Earnings

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Acuity

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AYI. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Acuity by 59.2% in the third 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. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity in the second quarter worth approximately $51,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in shares of Acuity during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Acuity by 372.7% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 208 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in Acuity during the 3rd quarter valued at $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

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.