Atlanta, GA 6/20/12 ( StreetBeat ) -- Acme Packet ( Nasdaq: APKT ) shares are trading lower Wednesday morning after Jefferies analyst James Kisner cut his rating on the telecom equipment company’s stock to Hold from Buy, with a new target of $40, down from $21. “While we still view many aspects of the Acme Packet story very favorably, we’re concerned that near-term hesitation by North American carriers to invest in the wireline portions of their networks will make it difficult for Acme to hit Street expectations in [the 2012 second half],” he writes in a research note. “Our checks suggest that wireline spending is getting put under even more pressure than we previously anticipated. Wireless investments are ‘crowding out’ wireline investments, andcarriers are raising the ROI hurdle for wireline and favoring projects tied to revenue growth.” He thinks Street estimates are too high for the second half. For 2012, Kisner now sees revenue of $310 million and profits of 80 cents a share a share, down form $340 million and 95 cents. For 2013, he goes to $384 million and $1.10, down from $431 million and $1.30. APKT is down $1.11, or 5.1%, to $20.80. Please contact www.thestreetbeat.com for interest in our latest investor relations platform the “CEO Interview Series” with its host Steve Kanaval. The package includes a one-on-one interview with a seasoned industry professional; published segment to our web site with embedded audio/video file; and a compressed file that can be easily e-mailed out to your current and/or potential investors. Please e-mail bflautt@gmail.com or call (662) 392-0740 for pricing and scheduling. StreetBeat Disclaimer Distributed by Viestly