Broker Recommendations
Broker tips: Kingfisher, Accesso, Hikma
Barclays downgraded its stance on B&Q and Castorama owner Kingfisher on Tuesday to ‘underweight’ from ‘equalweight’ as it said the more than 25% year-to-date total shareholder return was "overly generous".
Broker tips: Dr Martens, BP, DCC
RBC Capital Markets cut its price target on Dr Martens on Monday to 60p form 70p and reduced its revenue and earnings per share estimates, saying that consensus estimates may be too optimistic.
Broker tips: St James's Place, Centrica, Tate & Lyle
JPMorgan Cazenove reiterated its ‘strong conviction’ on overweight-rated St James's Place on Friday and lifted the price target to 1,310p from 1,205p.
Broker tips: Close Brothers, GB Group
RBC Capital Markets lifted its price target on Close Brothers on Thursday to 400p from 340p as it suggested there might be "light at the end of the tunnel".
Broker tips: Mondi, AB Foods
JPMorgan Cazenove upgraded packaging and paper group Mondi on Wednesday to ‘overweight’ from ‘neutral’.
Broker tips: Entain, St James's Place
UBS upgraded Entain on Tuesday to ‘buy’ from ‘neutral’ and lifted the price target to 920p from 820p.
Broker tips: BP, IWG
Morgan Stanley downgraded BP on Monday and reiterated its ‘overweight’ rating for rival Shell, in a note assessing the European energy sector.
Broker tips: Primary Health Properties, Sage, Next
Shore Capital has kept a 'buy' rating on healthcare real estate firm Primary Health Properties, saying the company is "still in the mix" over the bidding war for Assura and remains the preferable alternative to the latest offer from KKR and Stonepeak.
Broker tips: Weir, Eleco, Telecom Plus
Weir Group shot higher on Thursday after UBS upgraded the shares to 'buy' from 'neutral' and hiked its price target on the stock to 2,850. 0p from 2,250. 0p.
Broker tips: Synthomer, Trainline
Analysts at Berenberg lowered their target price on chemicals Synthomer from 150. 0p to 120. 0p on Wednesday, stating the group was not yet divested of balance-sheet problems.
Broker tips: Taseko Mines, Morgan Sindall
Analysts at Canaccord Genuity lowered their target price on copper producer Taseko Mines from 305. 0p to 290. 0p on Tuesday as it updated its model on the stock following the group's Q125 numbers.
Broker tips: Arrow Exploration, Glencore
Analysts at Canaccord Genuity lowered their target price on Arrow Exploration from 32. 0p to 28. 0p on Thursday as it took a "more cautious approach" to the firm's production profile.
Broker tips: Ashtead, Hochschild
RBC Capital Markets downgraded equipment rental firm Ashtead on Tuesday to 'sector perform' from 'outperform' and slashed its price target to 4,125. 0p from 6,750. 0p as it factored in a slowdown.
Broker tips: Cohort, Chemring, Yellow Cake
RBC Capital Markets initiated coverage of small to midcap UK defence companies Cohort and Chemring on Monday with a preference for products over services.
Broker tips: Jupiter Fund Management, Boohoo
Analysts at Canaccord Genuity downgraded Jupiter Fund Management to 'sell' from 'hold' on Wednesday, citing a weak earnings outlook and non-compelling capital returns.
Broker tips: Hochschild Mining, Antofagasta
Analysts at Canaccord Genuity raised their target price on precious metals exploration group Hochschild Mining from 285. 0p to 370. 0p on Thursday as gold and silver prices continued to surge.
Broker tips: Hollywood Bowl, IntegraFin
Peel Hunt upgraded its stance on Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday to ‘buy’ from ‘add’ following recent share price weakness.
Broker tips: 3i Group, Rotork, Next Fifteen
Citi lifted its price target on 3i Group on Tuesday to 4,850 from 4,670p, mainly due to FX, and reiterated its ‘buy’ rating following the filing of Dutch retailer Action’s 2024 annual report.
Broker tips: Intertek, Impax, Hays
Shore Capital has upgraded its rating on Intertek from 'sell' to 'hold' following a big fall in the share price of the testing services firm over the past month.
Broker tips: Marks and Spencer, Wise
RBC Capital Markets has reiterated its 'outperform' rating for Marks & Spencer, saying the business was well positioned to defy sector concerns.