BUZZ — Australia's Universal Store rises as Citi backs incentive structure

* Shares of Australia's Universal Store Holdings rise as much as 1.8% to A$7.44 * Citi says FY27 incentive structure for the casual fashion retailer is "largely shareholder-friendly and strategically consistent," maintaining strong focus on EPS growth, capital discipline, and store rollout execution * Brokerage says 20% return on capital employed (ROCE) hurdle for FY29 is reasonably demanding and should discourage management from taking excessive inventory risks or pursuing low-quality acquisitions * Says FY29 EPS targets are reasonable for the co; current Visible Alpha consensus estimate of 68 AU cents/share falls comfortably within the 61-72 AU cents/share range * Adds, CEO George Do's high exposure in UNI shares gives him significant personal presence and strong alignment with the co's success * YTD, stock down 7% (Reporting by Aamir Sheik Khalid in Bengaluru) ((Aamir.SheikKhalid@thomsonreuters.com)