Broker Recommendations
Broker tips: Marlowe, Fevertree
Analysts at Berenberg slightly lowered their target price on software and services firm Marlowe from 720. 0p to 710. 0p on Tuesday but said the group's divestment of certain Governance, Risk and Compliance software and service assets had left it with a "much cleaner and simpler-to-understand equity story".
Broker tips: JD Sports, NatWest
Barclays downgraded JD Sports on Monday to 'equalweight' from 'overweight' and cut its price target for the stock to 140. 0p from 165. 0p after the retailer announced the acquisition of US rival Hibbett last week for $1. 1bn.
Broker tips: NatWest, Pensionbee, Greggs
Shore Capital reiterated its 'buy' rating on bank NatWest after a forecast-beating first quarter but said it sees the least amount of upside potential in the stock compared with the wider banking sector.
Broker tips: Schroders, Reckitt Group, Jet2
Numis has trimmed its target price for Schroders from 380. 0p to 365. 0p on Thursday after first-quarter results from the asset management firm were "a little weaker than expected".
Berenberg lowers target price on Reckitt Group
Analysts at Berenberg lowered their target price on household goods manufacturer Reckitt Group from 5,800. 0p to 5,100. 0p on Thursday, citing limited visibility going forward.
Broker tips: Star Energy, Microlise Group
Analysts at Canaccord Genuity raised their target price on oil and gas extraction firm Star Energy from 55. 0p to 66. 0p on Wednesday, taking account of new commodity assumptions.
Broker tips: HSBC, Reckitt Benckisser, Watches of Switzerland
Citi said on Tuesday that it remains 'overweight' UK banks, with HSBC one of its top picks.
Broker tips: Dr Martens, Diageo, M&S, Next and Sainsbury's
RBC Capital Markets cut its price target on Dr Martens on Monday to 65. 0p from 85. 0p as it reduced estimates following the bootmaker's FY25 guidance.
Broker tips: DS Smith, Man Group
Numis downgraded its stance on packaging group DS Smith on Friday to ‘hold’ from ‘buy’ as it said there was insufficient upside to retain a buy rating.
Broker tips: Haleon, Warpaint, Deliveroo
HSBC initiated coverage of Haleon on Thursday with a 'buy' rating and 370. 0p price target as it took a look at consumer health stocks, saying the company stands out for its portfolio strength, the quality of its execution and better potential for exploiting new growth avenues.
Broker tips: AO World, Asos
Analysts at Canaccord Genuity raised their target price on electrical retailer AO World from 52. 0p to 75. 0p on Wednesday after the group's trading update last week led the broker to adjust its FY24-26 estimates.
Broker tips: Everyman Media, Yellow Cake, Kainos
Everyman Media is "well positioned for future success", according to Canaccord Genuity, which reiterated a 'buy' rating on the company following its 2023 results on Tuesday.
Broker tips: Atome, Ceres Power
Analysts at Canaccord Genuity initiated coverage on Atome with a 'speculative buy' rating and 130. 0p target price on Monday, stating the company's choice to focus on finished ammonia fertiliser manufacture was "advantaged".
Broker tips: Kingfisher, Darktrace, Marks & Spencer
HSBC upgraded B&Q and Castorama owner Kingfisher to 'buy' from 'hold' and lifted its price target on the stock to 305. 0p from 235. 0p.
Broker tips: AO World, Spirent Communications, RS Group
Shore Capital upgraded AO World on Wednesday to 'buy' from 'hold' as it said the online electricals company was "emerging as a capital-light cash compounder" within an industry it believes will "accommodate for margin recovery over the short term" and was at a volume trough versus the past ten years.
Broker tips: Halma, Asos, Johnson Matthey
Barclays upgraded Halma to 'overweight' from 'equalweight' on Tuesday and lifted its price target on the stock to 2,650. 0p from 2,425. 0p.
Broker tips: Wood Group, IWG
Wood Group is "on the right track" with its turnaround, according to Berenberg but the broker still cut its target price for shares of the energy and materials engineering and consulting business following the group's recent results.
Broker tips: Burberry, Ryanair, BT Group
RBC Capital Markets cut its price target on Burberry on Thursday to 1,200p from 1,500p as it reduced estimates ahead of the full-year results, which it said are unlikely to surprise positively.
Broker tips: Segro, GSK
Barclays has upgraded its rating on industrial real estate group Segro by two notches from 'underweight' to 'overweight' as part of its review of the European warehouse sector.