Belpointe Asset Management LLC Makes New $73,000 Investment in Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE:AYI)

Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE:AYI – Get Rating) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 441 shares of the electronics maker’s stock, valued at approximately $73,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Acuity Brands by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,100 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $182,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC grew its stake in shares of Acuity Brands by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 7,225 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $1,197,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Ellevest Inc. raised its stake in Acuity Brands by 52.7% in the 3rd quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 197 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in Acuity Brands by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,473 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $1,569,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Acuity Brands by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,591 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.80% of the company’s stock.

Acuity Brands Stock Performance

NYSE AYI opened at $159.17 on Monday. Acuity Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $142.71 and a 52-week high of $202.90. The company has a fifty day moving average of $165.60 and a 200-day moving average of $176.95. The company has a market capitalization of $5.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.34.

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

Acuity Brands Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AYI shares. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $210.00 target price on shares of Acuity Brands in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. UBS Group cut their target price on Acuity Brands from $180.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Acuity Brands from $193.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Acuity Brands from $201.00 to $173.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Acuity Brands in a report on Thursday. They set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Acuity Brands has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $191.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Acuity Brands news, Director Laura O’shaughnessy acquired 632 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $158.05 per share, with a total value of $99,887.60. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $333,643.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Acuity Brands Company 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.