Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI)

Acuity Brands, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, production, and distribution of lighting fixtures, and related products and services in North America and internationally. Its lighting equipment includes indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures for commercial and institutional, industrial, infrastructure, and residential applications. The company offers its lighting equipments to electrical distributors, retail home improvement centers, national accounts, electric utilities, utility distributors, municipalities, contractors, catalogs, and lighting showrooms. Acuity Brands markets its lighting products under various brands, including Lithonia Lighting, Holophane, Peerless, Mark Architectural Lighting, Hydrel, American Electric Lighting, Gotham, Carandini, SpecLight, Metal Optics, Antique Street Lamps, Synergy Lighting Controls, SAERIS, and ROAM. It sells its products through independent sales agents, factory sales representatives, distribution centers, regional warehouses, and commercial warehouses. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. Acuity Brands Inc. operates independently of National Service Industries, Inc. as of November 30, 2001.

For the fiscal year ended 31 August 2006, Acuity Brands, Inc.'s revenues increased 10% to $2.39B. Net income totaled $106.6M, up from $52.2M. Revenues reflect higher sales of Acuity Brands Lighting due to greater unit volume, better pricing. Net income also reflects the improved operating margins, the absence of special charge, decreased impairment charges, a decrease in interest expense and the presence of miscellaneous income, vs. an expense.