Acuity Brands used its third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings call to signal that lighting demand is stabilizing while its Acuity Intelligent Spaces segment continues to drive faster growth. Chairman and CEO Neil Ashe said Acuity Brands Lighting is seeing firmer demand after a softer winter, with project flow normalizing heading into the fourth quarter. ABL sales fell 1.9% to $905.2 million, partly due to a tough comparison against last year’s tariff-related order pull-forward, but adjusted operating margin held at 18.2%. Meanwhile, AIS sales climbed 14.9% to $303.5 million, with adjusted operating profit up 22.5% and margin reaching 25.1%, driven by Distech and QSC. Adjusted earnings per share rose to $5.31 from $5.12 a year earlier, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.20, while net sales increased 1.6% to $1.2 billion. Management highlighted share gains in data centers, universities, and OEM channels, and emphasized that its data center push is currently organic, built on internal product development rather than acquisitions.
Acuity Brands IncCEO signals firmer lighting demand and AIS sales growth of 14.9%, with share gains in data centers and universities.