2:30PM NY, U.S. Market Movers

Ablest Inc. (AIH: chart) said it has agreed to be acquired by Koosharem Corp. for about $32.5 million, or $11 per share, in cash. Shares of the company climbed 45.7%.

Acuity Brands Inc. (AYI: chart), lighting equipment company, said its second-quarter profit jumped 68% on higher pricing and volume growth, and results widely beat Wall Street expectations. The company reported net income in the second quarter of $24.4 million, or 55 cents per share, compared with $14.5 million, or 32 cents per share, in the year-earlier period. Net sales totaled $575.4 million, up 4.7% from a year earlier. Shares of the company climbed 9.7%.

BioVeris Corp. (BIOV: chart) said it agreed to be acquired by Roche for about $600 million in cash, or $21.50 per share. BioVeris said through the acquisition, Roche will own the complete patent estate of the electrochemiluminescence technology deployed in its Elecsys product line. Shares jumped 52.8%.

Blyth Inc. (BTH: chart), candle maker, posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings, sending its shares up 15.4%, despite a lower forecast for fiscal 2008. The company swung to a fourth-quarter net profit of $17 million, or 43 cents per share, from a year-ago loss of $12.3 million, or 30 cents per share. The latest fourth quarter includes restructuring and impairment charges totaling about 48 cents per share, partly offset by a gain of 13 cents per share from a note receivable, and includes income of $3.8 million from discontinued operations and a $12.6 million tax expense on un-remitted foreign earnings of subsidiaries. The year-ago quarter includes a charge of $38.4 million, or 94 cents per share, from the annual assessment of goodwill associated with the Wholesale segment.

The company''s net sales fell slightly to $379.8 million from $380.7 million last year. Blyth repeated its fiscal 2008 earnings outlook of $1.07 to $1.17 a share, an estimate that reflects restructuring charges of 10 cents to 15 cents per share. Excluding the restructuring and impairment charges, the company expects earnings of $1.22 to $1.27 per share.

Best Buy Co. (BBY: chart), retailer of consumer electronics, home-office products, entertainment software, appliances, and related services, said that its fourth-quarter net income increased to $763 million, or $1.55 per share, compared with $644 million, or $1.29 per share a year earlier. Revenue climbed to about $12.9 billion versus $10.69 billion in the same period a year ago. Same-store sales rose 5.9%. For the year, Best Buy expects to earn $3.10 to $3.25 a share, on revenue of about $39 billion. It anticipates opening about 130 new stores (95 domestic and 35 international) and a same-store sales gain of 3% to 5%. Best Buy said it expects its gross profit rate will decrease by 30 to 40 basis points, citing faster growth of lower-margin products in its revenue mix in a more stable promotional environment.

GMX Resources (GMXR: chart), oil and natural gas explorer and producer, raised its first-quarter production guidance and issued a second-quarter production outlook. The company anticipates first-quarter production doubling from the prior year to 1.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent (BCFE). GMX also expects second-quarter production of 2 BCFE, which would more than double the previous year''s results. Shares jumped 8.1%.

IDI Pharma Inc. (IDMI: chart) shares soared 54.3% after the company said during Tuesday''s session that the Food and Drug Administration has scheduled an Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee meeting on May 9 to discuss Junovan.

Jackson & Hewitt (JTX: chart) shares soared 9.3% on news that the Justice Department is investigating a major franchisee for tax fraud was overdone since the company itself is not a target of the investigation at this point. Morgan Stanley analyst Jennifer L. Pinnick upgraded Jackson Hewitt to """"Equal-Weight"""" from """"Underweight,"""" saying no franchisee at Jackson Hewitt accounts for more than 2% to 3% of revenue, and the particular franchisee in question represents less than 2% of revenue, or just 3 cents of earnings per share. Pinnick said the loss of value associated with that certain franchisee totals only 1.5%, much less than the 18% decline in valuation that occurred following the announcement.

MPC Corp.’s (MPZ: chart) MPC Computers, a wholly-owned subsidiary, announced that it has been awarded a prime contractor position on a new federal government-wide acquisition contract for the procurement of IT hardware and software. Shares climbed 51.5%.

Nanogen Inc. (NGEN: chart) shares leapt 34% after the company announced that it has been awarded a Government Service Administration schedule contract for its NanoChip 400 microarray instrument and reagents. The contract enables Nanogen to be listed on an approved GSA schedule and sell its NanoChip products directly to government agencies.

PSivida (PSDV: chart) said it signed an exclusive research and license agreement for its drug delivery technology with Pfizer Inc. Psivida, which develops drug delivery products in the health care sector, primarily for ophthalmology and oncology, said it will receive up to $155 million in development and sales-related milestone payments. Shares climbed 18.6%.

Robbins & Myers Inc. (RBN: chart) shares surged 14.8% after the industrial equipment maker raised its fiscal 2007 forecast. Robbins & Myers reported its fiscal second-quarter income multiplied to $7.9 million, or 46 cents per share, from $1.2 million, or 8 cents per share. The company credited an increase in orders and an improved cost structure for the gain.

Silicom Ltd. (SILC: chart) shares rose 13.97% after the company said it''s achieved a new design win for its BYPASS adapters with an undisclosed U.S. wide area network optimization company.

Greenbrier Companies Inc. (GBX: chart), which makes and markets freight cars and related services to railroads, recorded a second-quarter loss of $6.1 million, or 38 cents per share, compared to a gain of $8.6 million, or 54 cents per share in the year-ago period. Revenue climbed to $240 million versus $236 million in the same period a year earlier. Adjusted earnings for the latest period were 25 cents per share. Stock fell14.9%.

Hardinge (HDNG: chart), maker of industrial machine tools, said it expects 2007 net income and revenue in 2007 grow from the previous year. The company predicted 2007 net income between $15 million and $17 million, on revenue between $330 million and $340 million. In 2006, Hardinge had net income of $14 million on revenue of $326.6 million. Shares fell 13.4%.

Monster Worldwide Inc. (MNST: chart), online jobs company, said first-quarter sales should be $328 million to $329 million, below its prior outlook of $330 million to $338 million. The sales range for the period ended March 31 is also below the $333.1 million revenue estimate analysts polled by Thomson Financial forecast. The company said its first-quarter revenue outlook reflects about a 28 percent sales increase, as its international careers segment expands and its North America careers and Internet advertising and fees businesses declines. Stock fell 13.3%.

Oxford Industries Inc. (OXM: chart) shares declined 9.1% after the clothing maker reported lower fiscal third-quarter income and revenue, although analysts remained optimistic about the company. The company reported fiscal third-quarter net earnings of $9.74 million, or 54 cents a share, down 33% from $14.6 million, or 82 cents a share, in the year-ago period. The Atlanta-based apparel maker said revenue in the quarter ended March 2nd fell 3.1% $266.6 million from $275.2 million in comparable period last year. Oxford expects fiscal fourth-quarter earnings from continuing operations of $1.07 to $1.14 to a share, or $1.00 to $1.07 excluding a gain on the sale of real property.