BEST OF THE BROKERS
VODAFONE
Credit Suisse rates the telecoms group “buy/low risk” with a target price of £1.95. The broker expects to see Vodafone’s relationship with Verizon to soften over the coming months, giving room for dividends and a clearer picture of a possible merger or other-tie in between the two. The broker was also pleased with the firm’s improving market share in Germany and the UK, though has cut its earnings forecast for the year by three per cent.
MEGGITT
JP Morgan Cazenove rates the engineer “overweight” with a target price of 488p. The broker thinks the market continues to underestimate the firm’s strengths, with structural changes leaving it well-placed for strong growth this year. JP Morgan sees an upside of 39 per cent to the current share price, and views Meggitt as the stock most likely to beat consensus earnings estimates over the next 12 to 18 months.
BWIN.PARTY
UBS has upgraded the gaming firm to “buy” with a 12-month target price of 185p. The broker thinks the market is increasingly pricing in a full withdrawal from Germany for the firm, though UBS sees this as unlikely. Talk of a retreat in Germany has distracted from upside offered elsewhere for the company, including market consolidation and new French regulations, UBS adds.