Morgan Stanley downgrades 3i Group after strong run

Morgan Stanley downgraded 3i Group on Wednesday ‘equalweight’ from ‘overweight’ and cut the price target to 3,192p from 3,246p as it said the risk/reward is more balanced after a strong run.

The bank said 3i offers significant appeal, given the strong compounding characteristics at key asset Action. But with more than 10% upside to its price target after a strong sustained run - the shares are up 125% since start of 2023 - it is moving to ‘equalweight’.

Morgan Stanley noted that 3i's valuation is close to the historical peak of around 1.4x P/NAV based on March 2024 NAV.

It said gearing to capital market recovery and a re-acceleration at Action are key to upside.

The bank said it was trimming its NAV estimates by around 2% for FY25-27 following the AGM statement, which indicated modest moderation in Action like-for-like growth.

At 0850 BST, the shares were down 1.5% at 3,000p.