Shares in Intertek Group PLC (LON:ITRK) have fallen back into ‘fair value’ territory, according to Shore Capital.
The broker has upgraded the stock to ‘hold’ following a fall in the share price of the quality assurance specialist to 4,597p from 5,318p on January 5 of this year.
“We believe Intertek is a high-quality operator and is now approaching fair value and a valuation reflective of its two main European peers,” the broker said.
Full-year results on March 6 were initially well-received but on further review prompted another bout of selling.
READ: Intertek shares jump as it lifts full year dividend and reports earnings growth
Barclays, for one, was “surprised by the lack of forecast follow-through” and trimmed its current year earnings estimate by around 1%.
“We note further impairment charges (which have helped flatter depreciation over the years - boosting margins) and we don't like ongoing 'exceptional' restructuring, albeit lower yoy [year-on-year]. Also, recent Trump tariff proclamations could raise risks of disruption to global trade if escalated,” Barclays noted in its research note following the results.
Shares in Intertek were down 1.4% towards the end of the morning trading session, despite Shore abandoning its bearish position.