Hsbc Holdings PLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Acuity, Inc. $AYI

Hsbc Holdings PLC reduced its stake in shares of Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) by 30.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,769 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 5,060 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Acuity were worth $4,249,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AYI. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Acuity by 50,220.2% during the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,268,433 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $676,764,000 after acquiring an additional 2,263,925 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in shares of Acuity by 6,496.7% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 692,189 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $249,216,000 after acquiring an additional 681,696 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Acuity in the 4th quarter worth approximately $138,747,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Acuity by 98.4% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 571,017 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $196,653,000 after purchasing an additional 283,203 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Palestra Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Acuity in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $91,539,000. 98.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on AYI. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Acuity from $295.00 to $358.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Oppenheimer set a $465.00 price target on Acuity in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Acuity from $385.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Acuity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.17.

Insider Activity at Acuity

In other news, Director Maya Leibman bought 200 shares of Acuity stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $288.83 per share, for a total transaction of $57,766.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $115,532. The trade was a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Laura O’shaughnessy bought 1,000 shares of Acuity 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 acquisition, the director directly owned 3,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $880,350.78. The trade was a 47.37% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Acuity Price Performance

Acuity stock opened at $361.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.31. Acuity, Inc. has a 12-month low of $257.04 and a 12-month high of $380.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $297.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $308.10.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.17 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.18 billion. Acuity had a net margin of 10.25% and a return on equity of 20.26%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.12 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Acuity Announces Dividend

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

More Acuity News

Here are the key news stories impacting Acuity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Acuity reported Q3 adjusted EPS of $5.31 versus estimates around $5.17 and revenue of $1.20 billion versus $1.18 billion expected, reinforcing investor confidence in execution. Acuity Reports Fiscal 2026 Third-Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised the outlook, guiding FY2026 revenue to $4.8 billion and non-GAAP EPS to $19.75, both above consensus, which suggests the strong quarter may continue. Acuity: Q3 Earnings Brighten The Company’s Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: The Intelligent Spaces segment was a standout, with revenue up nearly 15%, gross margins above 60%, and operating margin expanding more than 800 basis points to 18.6%, highlighting improving profitability. Acuity: Q3 Earnings Brighten The Company’s Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted the beat, while a recent price-target increase from Robert W. Baird to $390 also reflects improved sentiment around the stock. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Acuity also confirmed its quarterly dividend and announced completion of the Distech Controls acquisition, which adds to the company’s strategic positioning but is less directly tied to the stock move. Acuity Brands Completes Acquisition of Distech Controls

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.