Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL, ETR:APC)'s App Store saw a “solid” month in March, according to analysts at UBS who believe this supports their Services revenue estimate for the quarter.
The analysts wrote in a note to clients that their analysis of Apple’s App Store suggests revenue in March grew 13% year-over-year, up from 11% growth in February.
The time has come for 'value' stocks, in other words stocks that appear to be trading for less than their intrinsic or book value, after 'growth' stocks, led by the 'magnificent seven' US tech megacaps, have dominated for several years.
Growth stocks are characterized by rapid earnings growth, which means their high valuations are ignored, while value stocks are typically undervalued on old school metrics like price-to-book ratios, dividend yields, and price-to-earnings ratios.
Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LSE:LLOY) was upgraded by analysts on Thursday as prospects for Britain’s banking sector look to improve into the second half of the year.
Across the sector in February, deposits into non-interest-bearing bank accounts climbed for the first time since October 2022, mortgage lending was positive and business loans grew, KBW analysts said, pointing to this week’s Bank of England data.
Shell is slated to give the market its quarterly trading update on Friday, with analysts at Jefferies Investment Bank expecting a downbeat tone.
“We see some downside for both Shell and BP ahead of their respective trading updates as the companies may warn about the challenges faced by their gas trading businesses during the quarter (falling volatility for most spreads),” Jefferies analyst Giacomo Romeo said.
One of the biggest drags on the share price of consumer group Haleon might be gone by the end of the year suggests Barclays.
According to the broker, and based on Pfizer's latest placing, it's possible it and GSK will have entirely sold down by the end of this year, leaving Haleon 100% free float, said the broker.
When Royal Mail parent International Distributions Services PLC (LSE:IDS) called for a reduction in its letter delivery services it painted a "a picture of financial distress that is not reflected in current consensus forecasts", analysts said.
Following the calls from the delivery group for all non-first-class letters and bulk mail to be delivered every other day, plus "more realistic" timeliness targets, an "urgent" deadline for pushing the changes through and a "temporary contribution" from the government to help with costs of the USO, two sets of analysts reiterated their 'sell' ratings on the shares.
Britain's clean energy sector enjoyed its strongest performance and made a first quarterly return since 2021 at the start of this year, according to analysts.
In the three months to March, the average returns on shares across the UK's new energy and clean technology sector hit 6.1%, noted Panmure Gordan.
Future PLC's (LSE:FUTR) first-half trading update was described by analysts as "encouraging" and "broadly reassuring" and the shares as "anomalously low".
The online publisher and price comparison site operator reported a return to organic revenue growth, following the continued improvement in revenue towards the end of its last financial year, driven by strong performances in Go.Compare (pictured), B2B and Magazines, offset by challenges in affiliate products and digital advertising due to macro uncertainties.
A competition probe into Britain’s veterinary market is unlikely to hit CVS Group (AIM:CVSG) and Pets at Home Group PLC (LSE:PETS) as hard as feared, analysts have reassured.
The Competition and Markets Authority would likely look to enforce more transparency, rather than taking drastic measures such as forcing disposals and capping product prices, Liberum analysts said in a note.