2,954 Shares in Acuity, Inc. $AYI Acquired by Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Acuity, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,954 shares of the electronics maker’s stock, valued at approximately $1,113,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its position in shares of Acuity by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,134 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $637,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Acuity by 1.6% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,488 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $857,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC increased its holdings in Acuity by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 6,805 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Acuity by 1.8% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,338 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $655,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, 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 valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.21% of the company’s stock.

Acuity Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of AYI stock opened at $336.96 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Acuity, Inc. has a 1 year low of $257.04 and a 1 year high of $380.17. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $340.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $307.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.34, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.30.

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The electronics maker reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.17 by $0.14. Acuity had a return on equity of 20.26% and a net margin of 10.25%.The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.12 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Acuity, Inc. will post 18.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 17th. Acuity’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AYI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer set a $465.00 price objective on shares of Acuity in a report on Friday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Acuity from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Acuity from $315.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Acuity in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Acuity from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Acuity presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.