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Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Citi downgrades Pennon to 'neutral'

(Sharecast News) - Citi downgraded Pennon on Monday to 'neutral' from 'buy' but lifted the price target to 542p from 539p. It noted that the shares are up around 30% in the last eight months, driven by a combination of re-rating from its lows post equity raise and recent downward gilt moves.

"While shares continue to trade at one of the lowest premium to RABs (7% on Mar-27) among European regulated utilities and the lowest in the UK, we see limited scope for near-term further re-rating," the bank said.

"If anything, we see some risks around UK Budget (rates/energy affordability read-across) and potential risk of new CEO revisiting operational targets on arrival.

"As we stand, Pennon shares are pricing in RoRE of circa 5.5% versus target of 7% (versus others of circa 6.5%) and the shares are also not yet pricing in the 30 bps of bonus returns upon reaching 4* EPA rating."

Citi said operational delivery will be key for further share price re-rating and this could take time.

At 0825 GMT, the shares were down 1.7% at 509.50p.

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Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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