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Kaufman Raises Price Target on Acuity Brands (AYI) Ahead of Earnings, Slightly Bullish

January 6, 2012 11:10 AM EST
AYI Hot Sheet
Rating Summary:
    4 Buy, 9 Hold, 2 Sell

Rating Trend: Up Up

Today's Overall Ratings:
    Up: 20 | Down: 11 | New: 38
Kaufman Bros. reaffirming its Hold rating on shares of Acuity Brands (NYSE: AYI) and is raising its price target from $39 to $51 ahead of the company's Q1 earnings release.

The company is expected to report its Q1 earnings on Monday, January 9, 2011. Acuity Brands also has a conference call scheduled at 10:00 a.m. ET to discuss the results.

The firm is slightly bullish on its estimates compared to the Street as it forecasts EPS of $0.68 on $475 million in sales for the quarter. The Street's consensus calls for earnings of $0.67 per share on $466 million in sales. Kaufman's estimates reflect declining commodity prices which should help maintain the company's margins and enhance profitability.

An analyst at Kaufman comments, "From a macro perspective, we continue to believe that while Acuity is likely to gain market share with its breadth of products and acquisitions which focus on the inherent technology, its end markets appear volatile over the near term."

For FY12, the firm is maintaining its estimates and outlook. Earning for the year are expected to total $3.00 per share on $1.94 billion in sales.

For an analyst ratings summary and ratings history on Acuity Brands click here. For more ratings news on Acuity Brands click here.

Shares of Acuity Brands closed at $52.62 yesterday, with a 52 week range of $33.13-$61.45.


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