• 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]