Broker Recommendations
Broker tips: Whitbread, EasyJet, M&S
Whitbread was under the cosh on Monday as Barclays downgraded its stance on shares of the Premier Inn owner to ‘equal-weight’ from ‘overweight’.
Broker tips: Persimmon, Carnival, Quixant
Persimmon got a boost on Friday after Jefferies upgraded its stance on shares of the housebuilder to 'buy' from 'hold' and said it was now among its preferred picks in the sector.
Broker tips: AA, Lamprell
Analysts at Berenberg lowered their target price on shares of 'sell' rated AA from 65p to 50p on Thursday, saying 2019 remained a "critical year" for the firm.
Broker tips: Safestay, BBA Aviation
Analysts at Canaccord Genuity reiterated their 'buy' rating on a 50p target price on hostel operator Safestay on Wednesday, but warned that revenue-to-underlying earnings conversion was still "not where it should be".
Broker tips: EasyJet, TUI
Berenberg raised its price target on shares of budget airline EasyJet to 1,260p from 1,150p on Tuesday, saying the collapse of Thomas Cook added confidence to its view that the group would achieve margin outperformance over the coming year.
Broker tips: Petra Diamonds, Hurricane Energy
Berenberg upgraded its stance on Petra Diamonds stock to 'hold' from 'sell' on Monday, lifting the price target to 9p from 8p following weakness in the shares over the summer.
Broker tips: Ferguson, Centrica, Petropavlovsk
RBC Capital Markets downgraded shares of plumbing merchant Ferguson to 'underperform' from 'sector perform' on Thursday, trimming the price target to 5,100p from 5,200p on short-term caution.
Broker tips: Weir Group, NMC Health, Sirius Minerals
JPMorgan Cazenove downgraded its rating on shares of Weir Group to ‘neutral’ from ‘overweight’ on Wednesday, cutting the price target to 1,500p from 1,650p as it said oil & gas challenges were set to persist as it reviewed its investment case after recent share price strength.
Broker tips: St James's Place, EasyJet, InterContinental Hotels, Whitbread
Analysts at Berenberg re-initiated coverage of wealth management firm St James's Place on Tuesday, hitting the group with a 'buy' rating and 1,194p target price.
Broker tips: AstraZeneca, Synthomer
JP Morgan has reiterated its ‘overweight’ rating on AstraZeneca, arguing that it has the strongest growth outlook of all the European drugs majors.
Broker tips: Britvic, Morrison's, Pennon, IMI
Jefferies upgraded its stance on shares of drinks maker Britvic to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ on Friday, lifting the price target to 1,000p from 880p as it said the market under-estimates its growth potential.
Broker tips: Hostelworld, Just Group, InterContinental Hotels, Whitbread
Analysts at Berenberg cut their price target on online booking firm Hostelworld from 230p to 145p on Thursday, stating that they preferred to "remain on the sidelines" until there were clearer signs of a turnaround from the group.
Broker tips: JD Sports, AstraZeneca
Analysts at Berenberg upped their target price on 'buy' rated JD Sports from 700p to 800p on Wednesday, stating the group was in "a league of its own" while highlighting the retailer's free cash flow and telling clients worrying that they had 'missed the boat' that the stock's valuation was still impressive.
Broker tips: Hiscox, Antofagasta, Petropavlovsk, SSE
Berenberg cut its price target on shares of insurance provider Hiscox from 1,581p to 1,487p on Tuesday as it said the valuation is demanding given the mixed short-term picture, despite attractive longer-term prospects.
Broker tips: Entertainment One, Spire Healthcare, Mitchells & Butlers
Berenberg downgraded its stance on Peppa Pig owner Entertainment One to 'hold' from 'buy' on Monday as it lifted the price target to 572p from 475p to account for a 20% chance of a potential "left field" counterbid to Hasbro at 10% above the current price.
Broker tips: Pennon, Boohoo, RBS, Lloyds
Analysts at RBC Capital Markets upgraded British utility company Pennon from 'sector perform' to 'outperform' on Friday, on the back of expectations for "strong growth" in its recycling and energy recovery and waste management unit, Viridor.
Broker tips: Cineworld, Barratt Developments, AstraZeneca
Analysts at Berenberg stood by their 'buy' rating on British theatre operator Cineworld on Thursday after taking its time to delve through the group's first-half results.
Broker tips: RBS, Anglo American, BHP, Kainos
Analysts at Berenberg lowered their target price on retail bank The Royal Bank of Scotland from 340p to 280p on Wednesday after management conceded that the lender was now unlikely to achieve a 12. 0% return on tangible equity by 2020.
Broker tips: Dalata Hotel Group, EasyJet, Royal Dutch Shell
Analysts at Berenberg reiterated their 'buy' rating on hotel operator Dalata Hotel Group on Tuesday, praising the group for its "strong performance" under "tough conditions".
Broker tips: M&S, Hurricane Energy, Tesco
Goldman Sachs reinstated coverage on shares of Marks & Spencer at ‘sell’ on Monday, with a 170p price target, noting that the completed joint venture with Ocado has little impact on free cash flow estimates.