Aviva PLC Trims Holdings in Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE:AYI)

Aviva PLC lowered its holdings in Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE:AYI – Get Rating) by 40.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,623 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 3,898 shares during the period. Aviva PLC’s holdings in Acuity Brands were worth $931,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ellevest Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Acuity Brands by 52.7% during the third quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 197 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Acuity Brands by 121.2% during the 4th quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 365 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Acuity Brands in the 4th quarter worth $73,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. lifted its position in shares of Acuity Brands by 2,926.7% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 454 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares during the period. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Acuity Brands in the 4th quarter worth about $87,000. 93.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Acuity Brands news, Director Laura O’shaughnessy bought 632 shares of Acuity Brands stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $158.05 per share, with a total value of $99,887.60. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,111 shares in the company, valued at $333,643.55. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AYI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Acuity Brands in a research report on Thursday. They set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Acuity Brands from $192.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $210.00 price target on shares of Acuity Brands in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Acuity Brands from $201.00 to $173.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Acuity Brands from $193.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Acuity Brands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.88.

Acuity Brands Trading Down 1.0 %

Acuity Brands stock opened at $159.17 on Monday. Acuity Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $142.71 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $165.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.95. The company has a market capitalization of $5.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.57.

Acuity Brands (NYSE:AYI – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 4th. The electronics maker reported $2.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.51. The company had revenue of $943.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $959.99 million. Acuity Brands had a net margin of 9.22% and a return on equity of 22.20%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Acuity Brands, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Acuity Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 1st. Investors of record on Monday, April 17th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 14th. Acuity Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.56%.

Acuity Brands Profile

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Acuity Brands, Inc operates as an industrial technology company, which engages in the provision of lighting and building management solutions and services. It operates through the Acuity Brands Lighting and Lighting Controls and Intelligent Spaces Group segments. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Atlanta, GA.