Shares of Acuity Brands Inc (AYI) is moving on volatility today -0.45% or $-0.92 rom the open. The NYSE listed company saw a recent bid of $202.03 on 45173 volume. Investors paying close attention to the daily ebbs and flows of the stock market may be trying to guess which way momentum will swing into the next couple of months. Finding those stocks that are ready to ride the lightning may not be the easiest task with markets chugging along near all time highs. Investors may have to first figure out how much risk they want to take on when picking the next round of stocks. Once the risk appetite is determined, investors can start to decide whether they think it is best to go with the flow or buck the trend. Either way, paying attention to short-term and long-term price moves may help paint a clearer picture of what is happening with a particular stock. Maybe those stocks that were sure-fire winners a few months ago have lost some steam. Adjusting the portfolio may or may not be necessary, but knowing exactly what stocks are owned and how they are performing may help with additional decision making along the way. Of course nobody wants to be on the outside looking in as a stock is taking off, but there should be plenty of other opportunities in the future. Staying current with global economic conditions and keeping a finger on the pulse of the company during earnings season can help shed some light on where the stock may be headed next.
Now let’s take a look at how the fundamentals are stacking up for Acuity Brands Inc (AYI). Fundamental analysis takes into consideration market, industry and stock conditions to help determine if the shares are correctly valued. Acuity Brands Inc currently has a yearly EPS of 7.17. This number is derived from the total net income divided by shares outstanding. In other words, EPS reveals how profitable a company is on a share owner basis.
Another key indicator that can help investors determine if a stock might be a quality investment is the Return on Equity or ROE. Acuity Brands Inc (AYI) currently has Return on Equity of 20.11. ROE is a ratio that measures profits generated from the investments received from shareholders.
In other words, the ratio reveals how effective the firm is at turning shareholder investment into company profits. A company with high ROE typically reflects well on management and how well a company is run at a high level. A firm with a lower ROE might encourage potential investors to dig further to see why profits aren’t being generated from shareholder money.
Another ratio we can look at is the Return on Invested Capital or more commonly referred to as ROIC. Acuity Brands Inc (AYI) has a current ROIC of 14.33. ROIC is calculated by dividing Net Income - Dividends by Total Capital Invested.
Similar to ROE, ROIC measures how effectively company management is using invested capital to generate company income. A high ROIC number typically reflects positively on company management while a low number typically reflects the opposite.
Turning to Return on Assets or ROA, Acuity Brands Inc (AYI) has a current ROA of 11.39. This is a profitability ratio that measures net income generated from total company assets during a given period. This ratio reveals how quick a company can turn it’s assets into profits. In other words, the ratio provides insight into the profitability of a firm’s assets. The ratio is calculated by dividing total net income by the average total assets.
A higher ROA compared to peers in the same industry, would suggest that company management is able to effectively generate profits from their assets. Similar to the other ratios, a lower number might raise red flags about management’s ability when compared to other companies in a similar sector.
