Ordinarily when a company says it's going to pull in roughly $100 million less this quarter than it expected to, analysts and investors head for the hills.

　　Not so this week with graphics-chip manufacturer ATI Technologies (ATYT), which yesterday warned investors that it was lowering its fourth-quarter sales expectations from the $550 million to $580 million range down to somewhere between $465 million and $480 million.

　　Stock for ATI, which is providing the graphics processors for the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Revolution, slipped in after-hours trading from its Monday close of 11.34 to today's opening of 10.49, but it has since regained that ground and made a little extra to boot, with a price of 11.53 shortly after 3:00 p.m. EST.

　　Likewise, analysts have held steady with the stock. Earlier this morning, Global Crown Capital upgraded the stock's status from neutral to overweight, and analyst P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research reiterated the firm's buy rating on the stock. McNealy cited the launch of the Xbox 360 and the release of ATI's R500 line of graphics processors through September and October as two reasons why the company's outlook is still bright.

　　ATI's Fiscal Year 05 ends August 31. It will report its fourth-quarter financial and operating results on October 6, 2005.