Top of the Street: UK real estate, European utilities, Covestro, SEB
A round-up of notable broker activity this morning from Europe's top-ranked* analysts:
** Deutsche Bank raises three UK real estate companies to "buy" from "hold" citing cautious optimism as Britain moves into a rate cutting cycle
** It upgrades LondonMetric Property LMPL.L as its "roll up & recycle" model continues to plough on, and ups British Land BLND.L and Landsec LAND.L on improving office and retail fundamentals
** However, it downgrades Segro SGRO.L to "hold" from "buy" due to softer near-term ERV (estimated rental value) growth expectations and continued yield expansion in continental Europe
** Jefferies and Kepler Cheuvreux cut Covestro 1COV.DE to "hold" from "buy" after ADNOC's offer to buy the German chemicals maker for 62 euro per share; Jefferies says it sees limited regulatory risk to the deal and Kepler flags "limited chances" of a better offer
** Exane BNP Paribas downgrades SEB SEBa.ST to "neutral" from "outperform" citing uncertainties ahead in some of the Swedish bank's markets
INITIATIONS AND REINSTATEMENTS
** Deutsche Bank says a recovery in European utility stocks has narrowed their 15% underperformance vs wider market to just 2%, leaving the broker neutral on the sector as it resumes coverage of 13 stocks
** DB sets a "hold" rating on Fortum FORTUM.HE, Enel ENEI.MI, Terna TRN.MI, Enagas ENAG.MC, Iberdrola IBE.MC, Redeia REDE.MC, Pennon Group PNN.L, SSE SSE.L and Severn Trent SVT.L, and "buy" on Engie ENGIE.PA, Italgas IG.MI, Snam SRG.MI and National Grid PLC NG.L with "buy"
** DB initiates Denmark's Zealand Pharma ZELA.CO with "hold" and says the valuation already reflects optimism about its early pipeline obesity drug, a long-acting amylin analog
** The broker also initiates Italy's Buzzi BZU.MI with "buy" saying it expects the cement maker's balance sheet to remain strong, with significant scope for expansion
** Berenberg starts coverage of Computacenter CCC.L with "hold" warning the implied expectations to meet FY24 operation profit consensus are too optimistic, considering the slowdown in corporate hardware, tough comps and FX headwind
** Berenberg also starts coverage of Softcat SCTS.L with "hold" saying that while there is significant room for growth in the UK and Ireland and potential for a fully-fledged expansion to the U.S. in the medium term, these qualities are already reflected in the valuation
** KBC Securities initiates Italian Agnelli family's holding company Exor EXOR.AS with "buy" after a recent decline in Stellantis' shares dragged down its valuation; it notes Exor's portfolio consists of sector-leading names and those operating in sectors entering a new growth phase
(*Analyst rankings from Thomson Reuters StarMine. The scale is from 1-star to 5-star with 5 being the best. Analysts are ranked on earnings accuracy as well as relative performance of recommendations over trailing 12-month & 24-month periods.)
Reporting by Jakub Olesiuk and Agata Rybska
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