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Is Now The Time To Look At Buying Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE:AYI)?

While Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) might not be the most widely known stock at the moment, it received a lot of attention from a substantial price increase on the NYSE over the last few months. As a mid-cap stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the company’s outlook is already priced into the stock. However, could the stock still be trading at a relatively cheap price? Let’s examine Acuity Brands’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.

Check out our latest analysis for Acuity Brands

What's the opportunity in Acuity Brands?

Great news for investors – Acuity Brands is still trading at a fairly cheap price. My valuation model shows that the intrinsic value for the stock is $154.86, but it is currently trading at US$123 on the share market, meaning that there is still an opportunity to buy now. Although, there may be another chance to buy again in the future. This is because Acuity Brands’s beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the company's shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity.

What kind of growth will Acuity Brands generate?

earnings-and-revenue-growth
earnings-and-revenue-growth

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let’s also take a look at the company's future expectations. With profit expected to grow by a double-digit 13% over the next couple of years, the outlook is positive for Acuity Brands. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? Since AYI is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. With an optimistic outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as capital structure to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation.

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Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on AYI for a while, now might be the time to enter the stock. Its buoyant future outlook isn’t fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it’s not too late to buy AYI. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to make a well-informed investment decision.

If you want to dive deeper into Acuity Brands, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 1 warning sign with Acuity Brands, and understanding this should be part of your investment process.

If you are no longer interested in Acuity Brands, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.