tiprankstipranks
Acuity Brands Inc (AYI)
NYSE:AYI
Want to see AYI full AI Analyst Report?

Acuity Brands (AYI) AI Stock Analysis

431 Followers

Top Page

AYI

Acuity Brands

(NYSE:AYI)

Select Model
Select Model
Select Model
Outperform 74 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:74Outperform
Price Target:
$327.00
â–²(11.75% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:04/02/26
The score is driven primarily by strong financial quality (profitability, conservative leverage, and robust free cash flow) and a solid, shareholder-friendly earnings update with improving margins and continued debt reduction. Offsetting factors are a mixed-to-weak longer-term technical trend and a valuation profile that is not clearly cheap with a low dividend yield, alongside softer ABL demand/guidance and supply-chain/project timing headwinds.
Positive Factors
Free cash flow generation
Consistently strong operating cash flow and FCF (~0.88x of net income TTM) provide durable internal funding for capex, R&D, dividends and buybacks. This improves financial flexibility to invest in AIS growth and absorb cyclical ABL swings over the next several months.
Negative Factors
ABL demand softness & outlook
Core lighting (ABL) is the largest revenue stream; a year‑over‑year sales decline and a revised outlook to flat/low-single-digit declines reduce top-line durability. Prolonged ABL softness could pressure operating leverage, margins and cash generation over the next several quarters.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Free cash flow generation
Consistently strong operating cash flow and FCF (~0.88x of net income TTM) provide durable internal funding for capex, R&D, dividends and buybacks. This improves financial flexibility to invest in AIS growth and absorb cyclical ABL swings over the next several months.
Read all positive factors

Acuity Brands (AYI) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Acuity Brands Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description
Acuity Brands, Inc. provides lighting and building management solutions in North America and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Acuity Brands Lighting and Lighting Controls (ABL); and the Intelligent Spaces Group (ISG). Th...
How the Company Makes Money
Acuity Brands makes money primarily by selling lighting and building-automation offerings through its operating segments. Its largest revenue stream is the sale of lighting products—such as indoor and outdoor luminaires, architectural and specialt...

Acuity Brands Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
Revenue by Segment
Revenue by Segment
Reveals how different parts of the business contribute to total sales, highlighting strengths and potential growth areas within the company’s operations.
Chart InsightsAcuity’s recent growth is being driven almost entirely by AIS after the QSC tuck‑in—AIS revenue jumped and meaningfully lifted segment margins, while ABL remains resilient but effectively flat in a tepid lighting market. Bigger eliminations and management’s note about backlog pull‑forward imply some recent upside was timing‑related, so expect normalization (notably in Q2) and tariff‑driven margin noise. Watch AIS organic momentum, integration execution, and continued debt repayment as the clearest levers for sustained margin upside.
Data provided by:The Fly

Acuity Brands Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Apr 02, 2026
(Q2-2026)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Jun 25, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call portrayed solid execution and financial strength: consolidated revenue up 5%, operating profit and margins expanded, EPS rose 11%, strong cash flow, active capital returns (dividend increase and $106M buybacks), and robust AIS growth and product momentum. Offsetting this were a modest decline in ABL sales (-3%), a revised ABL outlook (flat to down low single digits), supply-chain/memory pressures, longer project release timing, and a $6M special charge tied to labor reductions. Overall, the positives (improved profitability, cash generation, AIS momentum, product awards, and capital allocation) outweigh the headwinds tied to lighting demand and supply constraints.
Positive Updates
Total Net Sales Growth
Total net sales of $1.1 billion, up $49 million or +5% year-over-year, driven by strong growth in Acuity Intelligence Spaces (AIS) and an extra month of QSC sales.
Negative Updates
ABL Revenue Decline
Acuity Brands Lighting sales of $817 million decreased $23 million or -3% year-over-year, driven by declines in the direct sales channel and several large projects in the prior year that did not repeat.
Read all updates
Q2-2026 Updates
Negative
Total Net Sales Growth
Total net sales of $1.1 billion, up $49 million or +5% year-over-year, driven by strong growth in Acuity Intelligence Spaces (AIS) and an extra month of QSC sales.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Management guided that for fiscal 2026 Acuity Brands Lighting (ABL) sales are now expected to be flat to down low single digits year‑over‑year, while Acuity Intelligence Spaces (AIS) is still expected to grow low‑to‑mid‑teens and there is no change to overall EPS guidance; they will continue to manage margins via strategic pricing, product and productivity improvements and targeted cost actions. In Q2 the company reported total net sales of $1.1B (+$49M, +5% YoY), adjusted operating profit $176M (+$13M, +8%), adjusted operating margin 16.7% (+50 bps) and adjusted diluted EPS $4.14 (+$0.41, +11%); ABL sales were $817M (‑$23M, ‑3%) with gross margin 45.7% (+70 bps), adjusted operating profit $142M and a 17.3% margin (+50 bps) (including a $6M special labor charge), and AIS sales were $248M (+$77M) with adjusted gross margin 59.1% (+60 bps), adjusted operating profit $48M and a 19.3% margin (+60 bps); H1 operating cash flow was $230M (+$38M), the company repaid $100M this quarter ($200M YTD) leaving $200M outstanding from the QSC financing, raised the quarterly dividend 18% to $0.20 per share and repurchased $106M of stock (318,000 shares).

Acuity Brands Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Strong overall fundamentals supported by solid profitability (TTM gross margin ~48%, net margin ~9%), conservative and improving leverage (TTM debt-to-equity ~0.33 with debt reduction), and robust cash generation (TTM FCF ~0.88x net income). Key watch-outs are margin normalization versus prior peaks and some historical cash-flow consistency/volatility.
Income Statement
82
Very Positive
Balance Sheet
86
Very Positive
Cash Flow
84
Very Positive
BreakdownTTMAug 2025Aug 2024Aug 2023Aug 2022Aug 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue4.59B4.35B3.84B3.95B4.01B3.46B
Gross Profit2.24B2.08B1.78B1.71B1.67B1.48B
EBITDA697.00M655.30M665.00M588.50M603.20M520.50M
Net Income429.70M396.60M422.60M346.00M384.00M306.30M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets4.56B4.76B3.81B3.41B3.48B3.58B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments272.50M422.50M845.80M397.90M223.20M491.30M
Total Debt808.20M1.00B573.50M590.80M596.10M556.90M
Total Liabilities1.72B2.03B1.44B1.39B1.57B1.53B
Stockholders Equity2.84B2.72B2.38B2.02B1.91B2.04B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow558.10M533.00M555.20M511.40M259.80M364.90M
Operating Cash Flow639.70M601.40M619.20M578.10M316.30M408.70M
Investing Cash Flow-132.90M-1.28B-65.10M-90.70M-62.20M-117.90M
Financing Cash Flow-646.30M255.40M-104.50M-312.90M-512.40M-362.60M

Acuity Brands Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price292.63
Price Trends
50DMA
287.39
Positive
100DMA
317.20
Negative
200DMA
325.13
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
0.29
Negative
RSI
58.01
Neutral
STOCH
82.68
Negative
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For AYI, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 292.63 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 277.68, above the 50-day MA of 287.39, and below the 200-day MA of 325.13, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of 0.29 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 58.01 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 82.68 is Negative, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for AYI.

Acuity Brands Risk Analysis

Acuity Brands disclosed 25 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Acuity Brands reported the most risks in the "Legal & Regulatory" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Acuity Brands Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (63)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
85
Outperform
$9.49B23.3230.64%0.32%5.12%16.01%
78
Outperform
$7.76B15.1016.61%0.67%5.20%-0.12%
77
Outperform
$22.91B34.6819.60%0.84%18.36%116.24%
74
Outperform
$8.85B23.8615.71%0.18%15.89%3.60%
74
Outperform
$14.67B53.0511.51%0.18%21.37%173.02%
63
Neutral
$10.79B15.437.44%2.01%2.89%-14.66%
51
Neutral
$2.61B36.07-3.28%2.02%-7.20%-113.24%
* Industrials Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
AYI
Acuity Brands
285.11
43.99
18.25%
AEIS
Advanced Energy
369.08
272.08
280.48%
ENS
EnerSys
205.96
119.92
139.37%
POWL
Powell Industries
255.56
193.85
314.12%
ATKR
Atkore International Group
77.92
15.48
24.79%
NVT
nVent Electric
138.30
83.76
153.55%
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Apr 02, 2026