(AYI) - Acuity Brands, Inc - leading provider of specialty chemical products

Acuity Brands, Inc. has been the subject of bullish estimate revisions. Current fiscal 2007 earnings forecasts stand at $3.01 per share, compared to one month-ago estimates of $2.79. The company recently announced fiscal fourth quarter earnings of 93 cents per share, exceeding the consensus estimate by nearly 6% and outperforming the year-prior result. AYI is currently yielding 1.2%. Full Analysis Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI) is comprised of Acuity Brands Lighting and Acuity Specialty Products. Acuity Brands Lighting is one of the world's leading providers of lighting fixtures, while Acuity Specialty Products is a leading provider of specialty chemical products. On October 5, 2006, Acuity Brands posted record fourth-quarter and full-year results. Fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of 93 cents per share topped Wall Street expectations by almost 6% and eclipsed last year's fourth quarter. Net sales increased 13% to $674.5 million from the previous year's $597.2 million. The company noted that it shipped more products and earned more income in the fourth quarter and for the full year than any other respective periods in its history. Fiscal 2006 earnings per share totaled $2.34 per share, versus the year-ago total of $1.17 per share. Net sales in fiscal 2006 were $2,393.1 million, which is 10% ahead of last year's sales. Earnings per share grew 12% over the past five years. Sales improved by 4% over the same time period. The consensus estimate for fiscal 2007 currently sits at $3.01—marking an increase of 8% when compared to the consensus of one month ago. Profit forecasts for fiscal 2008 jumped 12.5% to $3.60 over the same period of time. On October 2, 2006, a quarterly dividend of 15 cents per share was declared by AYI's Board. The dividend is payable November 1, 2006 to shareholders of record as of October 16, 2006. The company is currently yielding 1.2%. Content Courtesy: Zacks Investment Research #1 Ranked Stocks Highlight Archive To truly take advantage of the Zacks Rank, you need to first understand how it works. That is why we created the free special report: Zacks Rank Guide: Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate Revisions. | Blog Home| VitalStocks Home