Credit Suisse is bullish on consumer goods giant Unilever PLC (LON:ULVR) ahead of first quarter results on April 14 and has ramped up the target price.
It reckons good momentum will have continued from the second half and is forecasting sales growth of 4.4%, against consensus of 4.7%.
This reflects the benefit of merger and acquisition activity, offset by a 5.2% foreign exchange headwind, it said.
The heavyweight European broker rates the shares as 'neutral' and pushed the target price up to 3,310p from 2,950p.
Alan Erskine, analyst, reckons there will be a strong performances in the home care division, ice cream and dressings.
"In contrast we anticipate a further high single digit decline in BCS sales and a weak tea performance," he said.
"It will be interesting to see how much mgt hike the dividend given the recent strength in the Euro. We have pencilled in a 6% increase," he said.
Elsewhere, in analyst world, AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) is the subject of a downgrade from investment giant Goldman Sachs, moving it to 'sell' from 'neutral'.
Meanwhile, Deutsche breaks down the quarterly activities of big cap miner Vedanta Resources (LON:VED) and repeats a 'hold' stance, while the target price is pumped up to 290p from 260p, after three month production stats.
Volumes were generally lighter but there were what analyst Anna Mulholland calls, some 'bright spots'.
"Oil for 4Q16 was down 9% year on year due to natural field decline at Ravva, Zinc
"India’s output was down 30% as the open pit comes to an end at Rampura Agucha, and aluminium volumes were down 2% year on year, lower than our forecasts which foresaw a faster ramp up at the new smelters.
"Alumina and Copper India were in line with our forecasts, with Copper India producing a record amount of cathodes. Copper Zambia mined metal was essentially flat compared with 4Q15 but there was encouraging progress at Konkola Deeps, with output
14% higher due to better grades and equipment availability," she said.
Other notable broker moves are HSBC going to 'hold' from 'buy' on Ashtead Group (LON:AHT) and Barclays pushing the target on Weir (LON:WEIR) to 1020p from 950p.
Elsewhere, in smaller caps, a recent note from Align Research said that Leni Gas Cuba Ltd (ISDX:CUBA) was a highly speculative investment but shows upside potential from deals done and those in the pipeline. It has started covering the stock with a 'conviction buy'.
The group - a first mover in the communist country - was founded around a year ago by serial investor David Lenigas and others, and so far it has invested in five Cuba companies.
These are in the tourism, trading and oil and gas sectors and analyst Richard Gill sees each of the non - oil and gas investments as potential multi-million dollar revenue company makers, while the oil and gas ones offer 'speculative bonanza' upside.
Notably, the investments provide for relationships with government departments - a 'must have' to do business in a country like Cuba, Align notes.