Broker Tips
Spirent's refocus and new CFO leads to Jefferies upgrade
Spirent Communications was upgraded to 'buy' from 'hold' by Jefferies on Thursday as the testing company has "refocused" the business on markets that could drive stronger growth.
Barclays downgrades Schroders, bumps up Ashmore
Barclays downgraded Schroders and upgraded Ashmore on Thursday as it took a look at European asset managers.
Broker tips: Hunting, Royal Mail, AA
Analysts at Morgan Stanley downgraded their recommendation on shares of Hunting and cut their target price, telling clients consensus was too upbeat about the prospects for activity in the oilfield services space and hence the company's top-line growth.
Royal Mail will deliver, Investec says, but more slowly than expected
Investec cut its target price on shares of Royal Mail, telling clients it was "very positive" on the long-term potential for efficiencies but less so on the outlook for the company's operating margins.
Morgan Stanley downgrades Hunting, sees flat US rig count
Analysts at Morgan Stanley downgraded their recommendation on shares of Hunting and cut their target price, telling clients consensus was too upbeat about the prospects for activity in the oilfield services space and hence the company's top-line growth.
Wednesday broker round-up
Hunting: Morgan Stanley downgrades to Underweight with a target price of 440p.
AA surges as Barclays initiates coverage at 'overweight'
Shares in roadside assistance group AA surged on Wednesday as Barclays initiated coverage of the stock at 'overweight' with a 280p price target.
AO World a 'sell' ahead of results, ShoreCap says
White goods retailer AO World remained a 'sell' for broker Shore Capital on Tuesday ahead of first-quarter results later in the week, amid wider concerns about big-ticket discretionary spending for the UK consumer.
Goldman Sachs initiates Kaz Minerals at 'buy'
Goldman Sachs initiated coverage of Kaz Minerals at 'buy' with a 700p price target saying it expects output growth and deleveraging ahead.
Credit Suisse takes a look at Lloyd's of London insurers
Credit Suisse initiated coverage of Beazley and Lancashire on Tuesday, and downgraded Hiscox, as it took a look at the Lloyd's of London insurers.
Investec upgrades Dairy Crest after weak share price performance
Investec upgraded Dairy Crest to 'buy' from 'hold' but cut the price target to 600p from 625p as the forecast total return moves back to double digits after a weaker share price performance.
Broker tips: Mitie, WPP
Mitie got a boost on Monday as Investec upped the stock to 'buy' from 'sell' and lifted the target price to 330p from 212p.
WPP 'over-exposed' to consumer staples ad spend, Deutsche downgrades
Advertising giant WPP is likely to see its earnings growth model squeezed due to its high exposure to spending from consumer staples companies, argued Deutsche Bank as it downgraded the shares to a 'hold'.
Mitie boosted by double upgrade at Investec
Mitie got a boost on Monday as Investec upped the stock to 'buy' from 'sell' and lifted the target price to 330p from 212p.
ITV hit as Goldman Sachs trims advertising growth forecasts
Goldman Sachs trimmed its share price targets for ITV and other European media operators as it cut it forecasts for industry advertising revenue for the second quarter but spied a rebound ahead.
HSBC upgrades Standard Life and Aberdeen
HSBC upgraded its recommendation on shares of Standard Life and Aberdeen ahead of their merger, telling clients the combination was "sensible (but defensive)".
Deutsche Bank raises Rolls Royce target price, but still downbeat
Analysts at Deutsche Bank bumped up their target price on Rolls Royce ahead of the engineer's first half results due out on 1 August, telling clients the focus won't really be on those numbers, per se.
B&M gets Goldman upgrade as 'significant' outperformance expected
B&M European Value Retail should "significantly outperform" UK non-food retail sales in its next two years, reckoned Goldman Sachs, which upgraded the discounter's shares to a 'buy' recommendation from 'neutral'.
Broker tips: Ophir Energy, KAZ Minerals, Micro Focus
Analysts at Cannacord Genuity trimmed their target price on Ophir Energy to reflect its recent disappointing update to investors and increased regulatory/legal risk in Tanzania.