Piper Jaffray Previews ARG's 4Q Results

Piper Jaffray, in previewing the 4Q results of Airgas Inc. ARG which are to be released tomorrow, predicts mostly inline results and is maintaining an Overweight rating and $76 price target on the stock. Says Piper Jaffray, in its report, “When Airgas reports 4Q results Thursday morning, we are expecting to hear a more forward looking discussion as Airgas looks to move beyond the shadow of the APD takeover attempt. We believe results will be generally inline with our estimates excluding any takeover related expenses. We will be focusing on signs that their strategic accounts program is gaining additional traction; that their customer segmentation is driving additional share gains; the acquisition engine has been restarted, and the SAP implementation is progressing smoothly.” ARG closed yesterday at $67.90.