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Is Acuity Brands (AYI) a Suitable Stock for Value Investors?
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Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?
One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:
PE Ratio
A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.
On this front, Acuity Brands has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 15.90, as you can see in the chart below:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 19.09. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Acuity Brands’ current PE level puts it above its midpoint over the past five years.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
However, the stock’s PE compares unfavorably with the industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 13.15. This indicates that the stock is relatively overvalued right now, compared to its peers.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Nevertheless, we should point out that Acuity Brands has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 14.54, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Acuity Brands stock in the near term.
P/S Ratio
Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.
Right now, Acuity Brands has a P/S ratio of about 1.60. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.84 right now. As we can see in the chart below, this is above the median for this stock in particular over the past few years.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
AYI is actually in the higher zone of its trading range in the time period per the P/S metric, which suggests that the company’s stock price has already appreciated to some degree, relative to its sales.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Acuity Brands currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Acuity Brands a solid choice for value investors.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Acuity Brands might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth grade of C and a Momentum score of D. This gives AYI a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of C. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Looking at the company’s recent earnings estimates, the current fiscal quarter has seen two estimates go higher in the past sixty days compared to none lower, while the fiscal full year estimate has seen three upward and zero downward revisions in the same time period.
However, the current fiscal quarter consensus estimate has fallen by 3.4% in the past two months, while the fiscal full year estimate has increased 3.4%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
This somewhat mixed trend is why the stock has just a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Acuity Brands is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (among the bottom 14%) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the industry has underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
So, value investors might want to wait for estimates, analyst sentiment and broader factors to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
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Is Acuity Brands (AYI) a Suitable Stock for Value Investors?
Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?
One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:
PE Ratio
A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.
On this front, Acuity Brands has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 15.90, as you can see in the chart below:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 19.09. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Acuity Brands’ current PE level puts it above its midpoint over the past five years.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
However, the stock’s PE compares unfavorably with the industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 13.15. This indicates that the stock is relatively overvalued right now, compared to its peers.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Nevertheless, we should point out that Acuity Brands has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 14.54, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Acuity Brands stock in the near term.
P/S Ratio
Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.
Right now, Acuity Brands has a P/S ratio of about 1.60. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.84 right now. As we can see in the chart below, this is above the median for this stock in particular over the past few years.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
AYI is actually in the higher zone of its trading range in the time period per the P/S metric, which suggests that the company’s stock price has already appreciated to some degree, relative to its sales.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Acuity Brands currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Acuity Brands a solid choice for value investors.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Acuity Brands might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth grade of C and a Momentum score of D. This gives AYI a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of C. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Looking at the company’s recent earnings estimates, the current fiscal quarter has seen two estimates go higher in the past sixty days compared to none lower, while the fiscal full year estimate has seen three upward and zero downward revisions in the same time period.
However, the current fiscal quarter consensus estimate has fallen by 3.4% in the past two months, while the fiscal full year estimate has increased 3.4%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Acuity Brands Inc Price and Consensus
Acuity Brands Inc price-consensus-chart | Acuity Brands Inc Quote
This somewhat mixed trend is why the stock has just a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Acuity Brands is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (among the bottom 14%) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the industry has underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
So, value investors might want to wait for estimates, analyst sentiment and broader factors to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.