Broker Recommendations
Broker tips: Centrica, BAT, Workspace
JPMorgan Cazenove said on Wednesday that British Gas owner Centrica remains a "top pick" as it lifted its price target to 140p from 130p and maintained its ‘overweight’ rating.
Broker tips: Dr Martens, Hollywood Bowl, Babcock
RBC Capital Markets downgraded shares of iconic bootmaker Dr Martens on Tuesday to ‘sector perform’ from ‘outperform’ and slashed the price target to 180p from 230p as it said FY24 guidance may prove too optimistic.
Broker tips: Darktrace, Halfords, Asos
Cybersecurity firm Darktrace tumbled on Friday after Bank of America Merrill Lynch initiated coverage of the stock with an ‘underperform’ rating and a "street-low" price target of 240p, which implies 18% downside potential.
Broker tips: Fevertree,Tristel
Liberum hiked its price target on Fevertree Drinks on Thursday to 1,500p from 1,000p following an update from the posh tonic maker.
Broker tips: Coats Group, Marks & Spencer, National Grid
Analysts at RBC reiterated their 'outperform' stance for shares of Coats Group on the back of their call with the company's finance director and head of investor relations.
Broker tips: Sainsbury's, Premier Foods
Citi downgraded its stance on Sainsbury’s on Tuesday to ‘neutral’ from ‘buy’ and cut the price target to 295p from 320p following a strong sector-relative performance, with the shares up 29% year-to-date.
Broker tips: BT Group, Hill & Smith
Citi reiterated its ‘buy’ rating on BT Group on Monday and added the shares to its ‘European Focus List’, "because of its deep value, and as it is a clear beneficiary from improving regulatory and market conditions".
Broker tips: St James's Place, Asos, Genuit
RBC Capital Markets upgraded its stance on St James’s Place to ‘outperform’ from ‘sector perform’ on Friday and lifted the price target to 1,400p from 1,390p.
Broker tips: M&S, Mitchells & Butlers, AMS
Citi downgraded its stance on Marks & Spencer on Thursday to ‘neutral’ from ‘buy’ and trimmed the price target to 170p from 175p.
Broker tips: Oxford Instruments, Rentokil
HSBC initiated coverage of Oxford Instruments on Wednesday with a ‘hold’ rating and 2,900p price target as it said it is an undisputed expert in its field but that a strong share price performance since March 2020 might be stalled by export restrictions and change at the helm.
Broker tips: Smiths Group, AB Foods, Loungers
Bank of America Merrill Lynch upgraded Smiths Group on Tuesday to ‘buy’ from ‘underperform’ and lifted the price target to 2,000p from 1,150p, as it pointed to "hidden value waiting to be realised".
Broker tips: THG, Beazley
Canaccord Genuity downgraded shares of THG from 'speculative buy' to 'hold' after the e-commerce company's decision to reject a bid from private equity giant Apollo.
Broker tips: Intertek, Crest Nicholson, Redrow
Analysts at ShoreCap raised their profit estimates for Intertek despite concerns around the product testing and inspection specialist's ability to deliver on its targets.
Broker tips: Bridgepoint, Compass Group
JPMorgan Cazenove resumed its recommendation for Bridgepoint at ‘underweight’ on Thursday, with a 224p price target as it pointed to long-term potential but limited near-term growth.
Broker tips: Just Group, Asos, Marshalls
JPMorgan Cazenove lifted its price target on Just Group on Wednesday to 125p from 115p to reflect higher new business sales forecasts, and a valuation roll-forward.
Broker tips: IAG, Intertek
Liberum reiterated its ‘buy’ recommendation on BA and Iberia owner IAG on Tuesday, and lifted its price target to 350p from 240p as it said positive earnings momentum was set to continue.
Broker tips: Spire Healthcare, Vodafone
RBC Capital Markets upgraded Spire Healthcare on Friday to ‘outperform’ from ‘sector perform’ and lifted the price target to 270p from 230p on "signs of market acceleration".
Broker tips: Centamin, Coca-Cola HBC
Analysts at Berenberg reiterated their 'buy' recommendation and 145p target price for shares of gold miner Centamin following an exploration roundtable with company management the day before.
Broker tips: HSBC, Hikma, Pearson
Berenberg upgraded HSBC to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ on Wednesday, keeping the price target at 780p, as it said the bank’s return on tangible equity of around 13% and attractive growth potential are undervalued.
Broker tips: Rightmove, AJ Bell, JTC
HSBC upgraded Rightmove on Tuesday to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ and lifted the price target to 645p from 530p as it said some of the early demand indicators show return of buyers’ interest and argued that positive sentiment from agents is not priced into current multiples for the stock.