• BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 2nd September 2010
    BUNZL Shore Capital rates the distribution and outsourcing firm a “buy” at 710p. The broker upgraded its forecasts for pre-tax profit for the year by £6m to £279m after interim results this week. The... [Read more]

  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 1st September 2010
    CARREFOUR Execution Noble issues a “sell” rating on the French grocer following its first-half results yesterday. The broker says some of Carrefour’s key markets are deteriorating, for example in... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 31st August 2010
    AGGREKO The temporary power supplier’s first half results were slightly better than expected last week, prompting Citigroup to raise its earnings per share estimates for the full year by 2.4 per cent... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 27th August 2010
    BHP BILLITON The mining group’s results were largely in line, said Citigroup, with iron ore revenue delivering a surprising jump to $6bn. The broker maintained its “buy” rating with a target price of... [Read more]

  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 26th August 2010
    AMLIN The insurer’s underlying performance remained solid despite results at the bottom end of consensus estimates, according to Jefferies. The broker added that Amlin should see the benefits of... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 25th August 2010
    CHARTER Panmure cuts its rating on Charter to “Hold” from “Buy” saying it is concerned over revenue visbility for 2011. Notes Howden’s order intake for delivery is lower than expected, and therefore... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 24th August 2010
    SWISS RE Standard & Poor’s Equity Research (S&P) maintains a “sell” rating on Swiss Re, based on its concerns over whether the group’s property and casualty book has been eroded by an... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 23rd August 2010
    BALFOUR BEATTY UBS said it saw solid first-half performance in the construction firm, with pre-tax profit 13 per cent ahead of expectations. But the broker warned investors of cyclical issues, in... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 20th August 2010
    CLOSE BROTHERS UBS resumes coverage of Close Brothers with a “neutral” rating and 680p price target. Sees potential upside from the group’s drive to rationalise its businesses and expects the banking... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 19th August 2010
    INMARSAT Bank of America Merrill Lynch cuts its price target for Inmarsat to 700p from 725p warning it has “several structural” issues, against a deteriorating macro environment. Says Harbinger using... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 18th August 2010
    LLOYDS Morgan Stanley places an “underweight” rating on Lloyds banking group. It says first-half figures were reassuring but warns of lower improvement ahead, with a slowing down of its book re-... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 17th August 2010
    SPORTS DIRECT Numis retains its “add” rating on sports retailer Sports Direct after a solid year, with ebitda of £160m in the year to April. But it has revised the ebitda forecast for this year down... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 16th August 2010
    CINEWORLD Evolution Securities has reiterated its “buy” rating on the stock ahead of this week’s interim results. The broker, which has a price target of 235p, is confident that current trading will... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 13th August 2010
    INTERSERVE UBS downgrades Interserve to “sell” from “neutral” with an 180p price target warning it faces “serious headwinds” going forward. Expects significant revenue drop in UK construction of 32... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 12th August 2010
    ANGLO AMERICAN Morgan Stanley downgrades Anglo American to “equalweight” from “overweight” and lowers its price target to 3,208p. Believes all the positives have been priced into the shares, which... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 11th August 2010
    SMITH & NEPHEW Evo Securities rates Smith & Nephew shares a “buy” with a price target of 695p. In a note in which its analysts speculate over what the company plans to do with the cash it is... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 10th August 2010
    MEGGITT Citi reiterates its “buy” rating on Meggitt saying its recent share price weakness is overdone. Acknowledges that first-half sales were disappointing, but is confident of a second-half... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 9th August 2010
    LOGICA Logica continues to trade at a material discount to its IT services peers, according to Standard & Poor’s. The analysts believe investors have overreacted to the threat of cuts in the UK... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 6th August 2010
    LLOYDS BANKING GROUP Lloyds Banking Group has delivered strong half-year results, according to Citigroup, which gives the bank a “buy” recommendation. Citi said that Lloyds is well ahead on strong... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 5th August 2010
    XSTRATA Xstrata’s interim results came in a little ahead of Evolution Securities’ expectations, and it maintains its “add” rating on the mining group. It notes that the company’s focus was on its... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 4th August 2010
    RENAULT Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BoAML) has confirmed its “buy” rating on French car manufacturer Renualt and raised its price target by €4 to €50. BoAML cites a solid performance in core... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 3rd August 2010
    NESTLE UBS Investment Research has maintained its “buy” rating on Nestle following anticipation of first half sales of SwFr 55.2bn (£33.4bn) to be announced next Wednesday, including organic sales... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 2nd August 2010
    REED ELSEVIER Standard & Poor’s Equity Research (S&P) believes half year results are stronger than expected and have raised their target price by half a euro to €8, though it maintained a “... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 30th July 2010
    EASYJET easyJet revealed strong revenue trends for the third quarter, according to Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which said it was, however, lower than expected. Profit guidance was unchanged as the... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 29th July 2010
    INFORMA Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) believes that Informa's first-half results demonstrated a turning of the cycle –both operationally and from a capital allocation perspective because the firm... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 28th July 2010
    NATIONAL GRID Standard & Poor’s Equity Research (S&P) believes National Grid has delivered a strong operational and financial performance and gives it a “hold” rating. S&P said in the... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 27th July 2010
    DANA PETROLEUM Evolution Securities has given Dana Petroleum a “sell” recommendation and said that the Korean National Oil Company has tabled a conditional 1,800p offer for full issued and to be... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 26th July 2010
    AUTONOMY Nomura gives Autonomy a “buy” rating and said that although it is unlikely to see a clean fourth quarter, it still believes the group can achieve its full year guidance. Nomura said it... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 23rd July 2010
    RECKITT BENCKISER Execution Noble rates Reckitt Benckiser as “sell”, with a fair value of 3,106p. Execution believes the SSL deal makes strategic sense, but cites the timing of the deal as evidence... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 22nd July 2010
    GOLDMAN SACHS JP Morgan Cazenove rates Goldman Sachs as “overweight” despite disappointing second quarter results. JP Morgan said that it has lowered its earnings per share predictions for Goldman,... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 21st July 2010
    WILLIAM HILL Execution Noble gives William Hill a “buy” rating and said it expects marginal upgrades to full-year numbers based on the bookmaker’s first half performance. But, given World Cup benefit... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 20th July 2010
    ASSOCIATED BRITISH FOODS Evolution Securities has downgraded Associated British Foods (ABF) from “buy” to “neutral”, as it sees limited upside to 2011 earnings and believes the gross margin... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 19th July 2010
    GLAXOSMITHKLINE Evolution Securities rates GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as “buy” and believes that with the Avandia overhang removed, 2010 should represent a period of outperformance. Business performance... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 16th July 2010
    NOVARTIS Standard & Poor’s Equity Research (S&P) rates Novartis as “buy” due to its strong second quarter results. Sales are up 12 per cent thanks to volume growth, especially in vaccines,... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 15th July 2010
    PENNON UBS has downgraded Pennon from “buy” to “neutral” but maintains its 565p target price. UBS said that it has seen infrastructure funds continue to raise cash and with credit conditions... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 14th July 2010
    CABLE & WIRELESS Morgan Stanley initiates coverage of Cable & Wireless (CWC) at “equal-weight” with a 72p price target. Morgan Stanley said that although it acknowledges that CWC has improved... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 13th July 2010
    GLAXOSMITHKLINE Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has given GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) a “buy” rating and said that it believes that the drug company is returning to sales growth in 2010 on an underlying basis... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 12th July 2010
    WILLIAM HILL Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BoAML) has upgraded William Hill to a “buy” rating and said it believes that the stock is high quality and at good value. Strong trends online and... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 9th July 2010
    PROVIDENT FINANCIAL Numis has issued a “buy” recommendation for Provident Financial and with the interim results coming up it details what it expects from the two core divisions: consumer credit and... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 8th July 2010
    BMW Barclays Capital reiterates a “strong buy” for BMW, based on its new forecasts. BarCap said that it believes that the luxury market provides a safehaven in the volatile European auto sector, due... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 7th July 2010
    WM MORRISON Collins Stewart upgrades Wm Morrison to a “buy” with a new target price of 300p. Cites Morrison’s valuation relative to the European food retail peer group, strength of the balance sheet... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 6th July 2010
    TUI TRAVEL UBS upgrades TUI Travel from “neutral” to “buy” with a lower price target of 250p. UBS said that market risk aversion and concerns that a late collapse in summer 2010 sales will cause a... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 5th July 2010
    AMLIN Shares in blue-chip London market insurer Amlin have been treading water of late, according to Citigroup, which said while this represents a strong performance relative to the broader market,... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 2nd July 2010
    HMV GROUP Citigroup said that the combination of further modest HMV market share gain progress, the ongoing product mix shift, and margin recovery at Waterstone’s should allow HMV to retain a stable... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 1st July 2010
    LLOYDS BANKING GROUP Credit Suisse has given Lloyds Banking Group an “outperform” rating. It upgraded forecasts for the bank last month after flagging that sustained low interest rates would allow... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 30th June 2010
    MICHELIN Bank of American Merrill Lynch (BoAML) said that it maintains a “buy” rating for Michelin and has raised its price to €67 (£54) to reflect its earnings estimate upgrade. The shares would... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 29th June 2010
    LADBROKES Numis said that there is plenty of opportunity for positive change at Ladbrokes and it believes the right jockey is in place to deliver it. Numis gives the bookie a “buy” rating and said... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 28th June 2010
    MARKS & SPENCER UBS maintains a “buy” recommendation for Marks & Spencer and said that it forecasts first quarter like-for-like growth of three per cent in general merchandise and 1.5 per... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 25th June 2010
    ENDESA UBS has upgraded Endesa to “buy” from “neutral” citing three reasons for the move. It says re-gearing could imply 60 per cent total return over two years, the possibility of a minority buyout... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 24th June 2010
    BRITISH AIRWAYS Citigroup said that the pension deficit agreement at British Airways (BA) appears positive for the share price. Citi has given the airline group a “buy” rating and said that the... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 23rd June 2010
    EASYJET JP Morgan Cazenove said it believes that easyJet’s share price performance is being overshadowed by Stelios’ disagreements with the board over strategy. JP Morgan said that until such time as... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 22nd June 2010
    HAYS Numis said that as the public sector comes into the spotlight it remains concerned that Hays has not yet seen the end of the earnings downgrade cycle. Its 35 per cent net fee exposure to this... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 21st June 2010
    BAYER Citigroup said it believes that Bayer is an attractive “buy”. Citi said that sentiment is going to be set by the Xarelto data and it remains positive on this asset. According to Citi trading... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 18th June 2010
    BHP BILLITON Citigroup maintains a “buy” recommendation on BHP Billiton saying the group’s share price has been overly impacted by issues such as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Chinese slow down and... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 16th June 2010
    RIO TINTO Citigroup maintains a “buy” recommendation on Rio Tinto and a price target of £42 but said that its preference among the large diversified miners remains for BHP Billiton and Xstrata. Iron... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 14th June 2010
    MICHELIN Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) initiates a “buy” rating for Michelin and says that despite rising material prices, it sees room for Michelin to profit from early implementation of price... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 11th June 2010
    MISYS Morgan Stanley raises its price target for Misys to 300p with an “overweight” rating saying the announcement of the share placing by Allscripts crystallises the value of healthcare. Morgan... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 10th June 2010
    NOVARTIS Citigroup gives Novartis a “buy” rating but warns that the commercial opportunity for drug Gilenia could be restricted by FDA safety concerns. Citi said its forecasts for sales of $780m by... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 9th June 2010
    CAMPARI JP Morgan Cazenove downgrades Campari to “underweight” noting that the June 2011 discounted cash flow derived price target is €3.80 (was €3.85) which is some nine per cent below the current... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 8th June 2010
    THE RESTAURANT GROUP Evolution Securities has initiated coverage of The Restaurant Group (RTN) with a “buy” rating. Evolution said the group’s earnings should double in the next 10 years – five years... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 7th June 2010
    TATE & LYLE Evolution Securities maintains a “buy” recommendation for Tate & Lyle and has upped its target price to 560p. Evo said Tate is a compelling long term turnaround story and that new... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 4th June 2010
    VIVENDI JP Morgan Cazenove has issued Vivendi with an “overweight” rating noting that management has indicated several times this year its willingness to acquire the 44 per cent of French mobile... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 3rd June 2010
    FERROVIAL Citigroup issues Ferrovial with a “buy” recommendation and said that since January 2009 Ferrovial has sold €3bn (£2.5bn) of assets. Citi said new greenfield projects which require less up-... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 2nd June 2010
    INFORMA JP Morgan Cazenove reiterates its “overweight” rating on Informa after assessing its margin upside potential. JP Morgan said the company has proved itself good at removing costs to offset... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 1st June 2010
    UNILEVER UBS has upgraded its rating for Unilever from “neutral” to “buy” and said that since the start of April, Unilever has underperformed its US peers. UBS suspects partly this reflects investors... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 28th May 2010
    SIGNET JEWELERS Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Equity Research has downgraded its rating on Signet Jewelers from “strong buy” to “hold” and said the jeweler continues to shine but there are few... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 27th May 2010
    THORNTONS Execution Noble reiterates its “sell” rating on Thorntons. The group’s profit warning and the resignation of the chief executive shows that it is time for a new plan, according to Execution... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 26th May 2010
    INVESTEC Citigroup reiterates its “buy” rating for Investec and said that the bank’s client franchise businesses should benefit from an expected cyclical recovery in 2011. Moreover, Citi believes it... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 25th May 2010
    IMPERIAL TOBACCO Nomura upgrades Imperial Tobacco to a “buy” rating from “neutral” and has a new, “conservatively realistic” price target of 2,000p, providing upside potential of 14 per cent. It said... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 24th May 2010
    NATIONAL GRID Goldman Sachs reiterates a “sell” rating on National Grid after the group’s £3.3bn rights issue. Goldman Sachs said that a $900m goodwill write off in the US rate base has led to a... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 21st May 2010
    BAYER Citigroup reiterates its “buy” rating on Bayer. It says that although some risk-aversion in the run up to the release of Xarelto data is likely to remain a feature of the share price... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 20th May 2010
    YELL JP Morgan Cazenove retains its “neutral” rating on Yell following its surprise announcement that both its CEO and CFO will leave the company in the next year. JP Morgan said the company is also... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 19th May 2010
    AIR FRANCE Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) retains a “buy” recommendation on Air France-KLM. Notwithstanding the ash-cloud, RBS said the underlying trading is improving, the Amadeus transaction will... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 18th May 2010
    HARDY Execution Noble maintains a “buy” recommendation for Hardy given the current rating and high quality underwriting on its portfolio in the past. Execution said the group expects premium volume... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 17th May 2010
    BT Citigroup has recommended BT as a “buy” after the telecoms group posted impressive fourth quarter results. Citi said revenue was ahead of estimates and consensus by four to five per cent. Revenue... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 14th May 2010
    COMPASS Credit Suisse has increased its target price for Compass to 634p and retained its “outperform” rating. Credit Suisse says that the food group’s growth outlook together with a further targeted... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 13th May 2010
    ENTERPRISE INNS Citi retains its “sell” rating on Enterprise Inns. Its negative view comes despite recent interim results which it concedes put the pub company slightly ahead of its expectations. But... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 12th May 2010
    ERICSSON Evolution Securities reiterates its “sell” rating on Ericsson. Despite its miss to top-line expectations, Evo notes that first-quarter results generated excitement because of improved gross... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 11th May 2010
    ITV Nomura maintains a “neutral” recommendation of ITV and forecasts the television company to grow about 1.5 per cent ahead of 2009, partly because of growth from the World Cup this summer. Nomura... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 10th May 2010
    BARCLAYS UBS maintains a “buy” rating on Barclays and says revenues in the investment bank are set to grow as newer businesses start to deliver. The sharp negative reaction to Barclays’ trading... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 7th May 2010
    SAGE Nomura reiterates its “buy” rating on Sage after the group reported half year figures, showing top line dynamics across all geographies improving. Nomura has increased its earnings per share by... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 6th May 2010
    EASYJET Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has given easyJet a “buy” recommendation ahead of the airline’s first quarter reports. Its bullishness, comes despite easyJet’s guidance that its profit before... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 5th May 2010
    INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS Credit Suisse has raised its target price for InterContinental Hotels by 20 per cent to 1,290p and has issued the hotel chain with an “outperform” rating. Credit Suisse... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 4th May 2010
    HUGO BOSS Deutsche Bank has upgraded its recommendation of Hugo Boss to “buy” and says ambitious targets for 2015 have been set by the clothing group, and comments on current trading are very... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 30th April 2010
    GLAXOSMITHKLINE Citi Group Global Markets maintains a “buy” recommendation on drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as it says the group’s sustained delivery of top-line growth should allow expansion... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 29th April 2010
    LLOYDS BANKING GROUP Seymour Pierce reiterates its “sell” rating on Lloyds Banking Group despite the bank reporting an upbeat first quarter and updated 2010 forecasts. But, Seymour Pierce says that... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 28th April 2010
    BAVARIAN NORDIC Standard & Poor’s Equity Research (S&P) has maintained a “strong buy” stance on Bavarian Nordic after the biotechnology group released its first quarter figures. S&P says... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 27th April 2010
    SKANSKA Standard & Poor’s Equity Research (S&P) has lowered a recommendation of Skanska to “hold” from “buy” ahead of the construction group’s first quarter results. S&P says their 2010-... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 26th April 2010
    L’OREAL Standard & Poor’s Equity Research (S&P) has maintained a “hold” stance on L’Oreal as it says the beauty group’s current valuation continues to discount a broad return-to-growth... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 23rd April 2010
    PUBLICIS Execution Noble reaffirms its “buy” rating on Publicis after the advertising group reported organic revenue growth of 3.1 per cent for the first quarter, a strong improvement from the 5.4... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 22nd April 2010
    THORNTONS Execution Noble has downgraded its rating of Thorntons from “buy” to “sell”. It says the chocolate-maker wavered at the January trading update, when the store sales trend was weaker than... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 21st April 2010
    PHILIPS ELECTRONICS Philips Electronics has been given a “buy” recommendation by Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Equity Research after the electronics company reported better-than-expected first... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 20th April 2010
    NOVAE Execution Noble has maintained a “buy” recommendation for insurance company Novae following its recently announced initiatives to improve the group’s return on equity. It expects Novae to... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 19th April 2010
    LLOYDS BANKING GROUP AlphaValue has moved a recommendation for Lloyds Banking Group from “add” to “sell” and say that short term valuation approaches are detrimental to the stock valuation due to... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 16th April 2010
    HOMESERVE Insurance group Homeserve announced this week the acquisition of National Grid Energy Services contract business. Seymour Pierce says this is the long awaited deal that gives Homeserve... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 15th April 2010
    DEBENHAMS Numis reiterates its “buy” recommendation on Debenhams citing the retailer’s solid interim results, which place it comfortably ahead of Numis’ expectations. Numis raises August forecasts to... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 14th April 2010
    AIR FRANCE-KLM The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has upgraded its recommendation of Air France-KLM from “hold” to “buy” after brightening revenue trends in both passenger and cargo numbers. RBS has... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 13th April 2010
    BARCLAYS Seymour Pierce has issued a “sell” recommendation on Barclays, noting that during the last seven years, the bank has grown income by 18 per cent, while avoiding many of the toxic assets and... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 12th April 2010
    ADIDAS Standard & Poor’s (S&P’s) has maintained a “buy” rating on sports group Adidas because it believes recent retail news flow reflects generally effective leverage of the Easter calendar... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 9th April 2010
    SALAMANDER ENERGY Oriel Securities has maintained a “buy” rating on Salamander Energy after calling it one of the most active drillers in its peer group this year. Despite the announcement that... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 8th April 2010
    MAN GROUP Execution Nobel has initiated a “buy” recommendation on Man Group as it says the global investor is well placed to build its long short capability with $1.5bn of surplus cash and its track... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 7th April 2010
    ALLIANZ Execution Noble has upgraded its recommendation on Allianz to a “hold” because it feels the insurer is fairly valued. But Execution Noble said the insurer’s new operating profit guidance for... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 6th April 2010
    VODAFONE Collins Stewart has issued a “sell” recommendation on Vodafone after Ofcom’s mobile termination rate (MTR) proposals to bring down rates. Collins Stewart said that it could have a 20 per... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 1st April 2010
    ERICSSON Evolution Securities advises investors to “sell” Ericsson because the mobile company’s pricing power is limited by operators. Evolution points out that consolidation has not stemmed industry... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 31st March 2010
    CARLUCCIO’S Altium Securities downgrades its recommendation on restaurant group Carluccio’s from a “buy” to a “hold” ahead of today’s trading update. Blames valuation for the decision. Calculates the... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 30th March 2010
    HMV Shore Capital have issued a “sell” recommendation for music retailers HMV Group as they remain unconvinced that management can maintain HMV UK profits and suspect profits would already be in... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 29th March 2010
    TED BAKER Numis Securities are positive about the outlook for the retail group given the tough trading conditions in the downturn. Factoring-in a marginally better outlook for US retail and UK... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 26th March 2010
    MEDIASET Standard & Poor’s has upgraded its rating on Mediaset to “buy” from “hold” citing the Italian media company’s recent full-year results. Despite the 41 per cent drop in 2009 profits, S... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 25th March 2010
    ALLIANCE PHARMA Numis Securities rates Alliance Pharma “buy” citing its 44 per cent sales growth and a 200 per cent rise in earnings per share. Says the outlook is strong for 2010. CABLE &... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 24th March 2010
    3i Evolution Securities reiterates its “buy” rating on 3i ahead of today’s pre-close trading update. It cut its net asset value forecast from 330p to 320p to account for the failure of British... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 23rd March 2010
    NEXT BNP Paribas Wealth Management has maintained its “neutral” stance on clothing retailer Next, ahead of the company’s full year results expected out on Thursday. BNP said that Next reported an... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 22nd March 2010
    LLOYDS Execution Noble says the government will sell down Lloyds shares ahead of the election due to strong results and a good level of income growth. Costs are well controlled and lower than the... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 19th March 2010
    AUTONOMY Credit Suisse reiterates Autonomy’s “outperform” rating after raising its target price from £20 to £22. Credit Suisse has raised its 2010 revenue and earnings per share estimates as its... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 18th March 2010
    ASTRAZENECA Panmure reiterates its “buy” stance on AstraZeneca saying the company’s emerging markets review was comprehensive and makes Panmure more comfortable in its investment thesis. It... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 17th March 2010
    UBS JP Morgan reiterates it’s “overweight” stance on UBS. It highlights strong trading during the first half of January due to a significant pent up of demand from December with prearranged trades... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 16th March 2010
    PROVIDENT FINANCIAL Collins Stewart has maintained its recommendation on Provident Financial at “sell”. It said that Provident Financial was trading at the bottom of the trading range and the impact... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 15th March 2010
    HOME RETAIL GROUP Charles Stanley said the group’s fourth quarter trading update covering the eight weeks to 27 February was mixed. Trading was impacted by poor weather in January, but the impact on... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 11th March 2010
    PUNCH TAVERNS Numis Securities has issued a “buy” recommendation on Punch Taverns. It believes Punch’s shares have been overlooked by the market in recent weeks, and thinks they are well placed to... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 9th March 2010
    LEGAL & GENERAL Nomura has reiterated its “buy” recommendation on Legal & General (L&G) ahead of its results. Nomura expects strong half- year results and have upgraded their earnings... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 5th March 2010
    SIGNET JEWELERS Ahead of Signet's financial results, Standard & Poor retains its “strong buy” recommendation. Expects continued market share gains for Signet as weaker peers grapple with... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 4th March 2010
    BP Nomura rates BP “buy” after the oil group’s recent annual strategy review. The bank said that although BP has not sought to radically shift its agenda, the strategy provides a basis for continued... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 3rd March 2010
    HAYS Numis Securities reiterates its “sell” rating on Hays citing another set of earnings downgrades post its half year results. Following a tough period of trading, the business faces additional UK... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 2nd March 2010
    ROBERT WALTERS Charles Stanley issued a “buy” note on the recruitment giant following signs that having been one of the first sectors to enter the recession, it may be the first to exit. The broker... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 26th February 2010
    CAIRN ENERGY Goldman Sachs downgrades Cairn Energy to “sell” from “neutral” saying it believes the shares are too expensive relative to peers. Sees better risk/reward elsewhere in the sector, and... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 25th February 2010
    DRAX GROUP Standard & Poor’s maintains its “sell” rating on Drax, despite noting the group has hedged all electricity output over the next three years at higher spreads than achieved in 2009,... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 24th February 2010
    BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO Morgan Stanley advises investors to “overweight” British American Tobacco shares ahead of tomorrow’s full year results. Says pricing strength, cost savings, improved economic... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 23rd February 2010
    INVESTEC Numis is bullish on the South African bank, claiming its well capitalised, highly liquid balance sheet will allow it strong growth opportunities in specialist high margin assets while its... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 22nd February 2010
    HENDERSON Evolution forecasts full-year earnings will fall despite higher market levels boosting second-half profits. It forecasts net new money of £300m, is concerned about future capital... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 19th February 2010
    SEGRO The commercial property company’s prelims on 25 February will show the benefits of a strong upturn in UK industrial property values in the second half of 2009, reckons Execution Noble. Its... [Read more]
  • BNP Paribas sees lower bad debts as quarterly profit rises
    Thursday, 18th February 2010
    BANKING
    HARRY BANKS
    France’s biggest listed bank BNP Paribas forecast a drop in bad debt charges and was upbeat on its prospects for 2010 despite the economic uncertainty clouding the global finance sector. “I remain... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 18th February 2010
    MORRISON Barclays says Morrison has continued to take market share, has seen profit growth accelerate and has sharply increased its dividend. Yet it was the worst-performing stock in the sector... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 16th February 2010
    INFORMA Informa’s resilience through the recession has driven Collins Stewart’s “buy”recommendation. “A strong entrepreneurial culture and tight focus on costs helped eliminate the effects of... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERSn
    Monday, 15th February 2010
    BT GROUP Charles Stanley says last week’s third quarter results from BT were positive, particularly for overall improvement in profitability, and a small uplift in full year cash flow guidance was... [Read more]
  • Air France-KLM dampens spirits in the markets as flies towards a £1.3bn loss
    Friday, 12th February 2010
    AVIATION
    BEN DAVIES
    SHARE prices dropped across the airline sector yesterday after Air France-KLM warned that it expected fourth quarter losses to be “of the same order” as its €535m (£466.4m) operating loss in the same... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 12th February 2010
    BHP BILLITON Standard & Poor’s says that BHP’s first-half earnings were stronger than expected, although still 28 per cent lower year-on- year. The broker agrees with the group’s statement that... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 11th February 2010
    RIGHTMOVE Collins Stewart thinks that consensus forecasts for FY10 are materially too low. It sets a target price of 690p – well above the current share price of 566p. It expects earnings per share... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 10th February 2010
    ICAP Bank of America Merrill Lynch adds ICAP to its “Europe 1” buy list saying its current share price ignores the company’s strong portfolio of assets. Despite its revised earnings guidance for the... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 9th February 2010
    MAN GROUP Numis lowers its target price from 355p to 300p. The broker blames Man’s poor performance on its flagship fund. However, it predicts a long term turnaround for the group based on past form... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 8th February 2010
    BARCLAYS Shore Capital has reiterated its “buy” recommendation, saying it continues to view Barclays as the most attractively valued UK bank on a risk/return basis. The broker has downgraded earnings... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 5th February 2010
    PARTYGAMING Barclays Capital ups PartyGaming to “overweight” citing its improved operational performance. Sets a target price of 330p, suggesting 15 per cent upside to the current share price. Says... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 4th February 2010
    BSKYB ING advises investors to “buy” BSkyB shares citing its “decent financials” and strong operating metrics despite the consumer recession. Believes its recent results indicate it’s a company for “... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 3rd February 2010
    WM MORRISON JP Morgan upgrades Morrison’s to “overweight” ahead of its results on 11 March. Calculates that Morrison’s has grown three-fold over the past seven years, helped by its Safeway purchase.... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 2nd February 2010
    BSKYB Evolution cut its valuation 10p to 560p, despite 10 per cent revenue growth. Concerns about rising programming and transmission costs mean it sees the 50 per cent earnings growth as too... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 1st February 2010
    IG Group Arden has increased its target price by seven per cent to 440p. With no loss making days in the last 18 months and bad debt at under 0.1 per cent of revenue in the first half of 2010, IG’s... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 28th January 2010
    SABMILLER Only 90p of SABMiller’s 185p slide to £16.55 since 11 January can be explained by its failure to acquire Mexican company FEMSA Cerveza, says Evolution Securities. The broker thinks the rest... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 27th January 2010
    MARSTON’S Numis predicts the brewing giant will report a year-on-year one per cent increase in like-for-like sales at its annual meeting on Friday and gives the shares a “buy” rating. It forecasts... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 26th January 2010
    HMV Numis has cut its forecasts on HMV and shifted its recommendation to “hold” despite the retailer’s Christmas trading update which was in line with market expectations. Numis said the decline in... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 25th January 2010
    CLOSE BROTHERS Shore Capital has resumed coverage of Close Brothers with a “hold” rating after a pre-close update last week. The broker said the group’s mixed divisional performance – with strength... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 22nd January 2010
    UK MAIL Seymour Pierce reckons UK Mail had a good Christmas and has upgraded its full-year profit forecasts for 2010 as a result. The broker notes UK Mail shares had a strong rise at the end of last... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 21st January 2010
    CABLE & WIRELESS Citigroup upgrades Cable & Wireless (C&W) to “buy” saying the shares, which underperformed in 2009, are due to be re-rated this year. It expects confidence to improve... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 20th January 2010
    MICHAEL PAGE Investec yesterday raised its target price for Michael Page to 410p from 360p and advised investors to hold the shares. It believes the recruiter’s recent trading update marked a turning... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 19th January 2010
    QINETIQ Evolution Securities says Qinetiq is the victim of a “vicious squeeze” as robot and armour sales have yet to rise despite other equipment manufactures reaping the benefits of the recent surge... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 18th January 2010
    ASSOCIATED BRITISH FOODS Evolution Securities has upgraded its target price to 950p on its “buy” recommendation of ABF. Despite a recent rally, Evo said the company “still looks compelling value”... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 15th January 2010
    XSTRATA Investec Securities yesterday initiated coverage on what it called “the predator of the mining industry”. The broker put a “buy” recommendation on the stock, saying that looking beyond... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 14th January 2010
    BARCLAYS Execution has initiated coverage of Barclays with a “buy” rating. The broker said revenues at BarCap should be relatively sustainable due to its diverse fixed income business and revenue... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 13th January 2010
    GREENE KING Collins Stewart believes Greene King is under valued and recommends investors “buy”. It says both growth and resilience are built into its business model and thinks its estimates are... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 12th January 2010
    TOMKINS Numis has upgraded its 2009 and 2010 estimates by 15 and 20 per cent respectively on the basis of rising automotive production and benefits feeding through from restructuring initiatives.... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 11th January 2010
    TED BAKER Singer Capital maintains a “buy” rating for Ted Baker after strong trading from 1 November to 24 December. Retail sales growth for this period was 19.1 per cent and trading was up 14.3 per... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Friday, 8th January 2010
    SAGE UBS has switched its rating to “buy” from “netural”, pointing out it is trading at a 23 per cent discount to its FTSE peer group. It believes the current share price ignores the sustainability... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Thursday, 7th January 2010
    MENZIES Numis believes the shares are significantly undervalued and raised its target price from 411p to 423p on the back of a positive trading update. Management said Menzies Aviation had seen a... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Wednesday, 6th January 2010
    Carrs Milling FinnCap believes the agriculture, engineering, food and travel company has decent value and should return to profit after a disappointing second half last year. Fertiliser sales have... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 5th January 2010
    CARNIVAL Cruise operator Carnival's full year results were ahead of market expectations and Charles Stanley expects yields to continue to recover with the US economy in 2010. It believes cruising... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Tuesday, 22nd December 2009
    CLAPHAM HOUSE Following a gloomy outlook from the restaurant group for 2010, Seymour Pierce yesterday said it pulled back its recommendation on the shares and is now taking a neutral stance on... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 21st December 2009
    FORTH PORTS Investec Securities kept its recommendation for Forth Ports as “buy”. Investec says the ports group should deliver robust business in a challenging economic environment, and praised the... [Read more]
  • BEST OF THE BROKERS
    Monday, 14th December 2009
    HMV Singer Capital Markets has maintained a “buy” recommendation on HMV despite the group posting reported interim results at the lower end of its expected performance. It said disappointment in... [Read more]