Broker tips: Shell, Easyjet, Standard Life

Charles Stanley has cut its recommendation for Royal Dutch Shell from ‘buy’ to ‘accumulate’, saying it sees less upside after fourth-quarter profits came in well below forecasts.

The broker said: “The strong balance sheet will take the strain as Shell begins to reduce capital expenditure and operational expenditure in order to cut its cash flow break-even oil price. Shell starts from a strong position with gearing of 12% but the outlook has become challenging and the share price may struggle to outperform.”

Easyjet’s shares were flying higher on Thursday after analysts at Barclays Capital upgraded their stance on the stock from ‘equalweight’ to ‘overweight’ and hiked their target price from 1,850p to 2,150p.

The positive move came after the airline’s stronger first-quarter update on Tuesday which showed “conclusive evidence that easyJet has developed one of the best low cost carrier business models in Europe”, Barclays said.

Canaccord Genuity said it was “taking a more cautious view” on the near-term growth outlook at Standard Life, as it lowered its rating on the insurer from ‘buy’ to ‘hold’.

Its new “cautious” stance is a result of weak retail sales across the industry since the third quarter of 2014, lower customer confidence and competitive pricing pressures. Volatility across investment markets has also reduced the demand for “non-tax wrapped discretionary savings”, it said.