Skip Header
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.

Deutsche Bank downgrades Crest Nicholson after profit warning

(Sharecast News) - Deutsche Bank downgraded Crest Nicholson on Wednesday to 'hold' from 'buy' and slashed the price target to 79p from 228p following the housebuilder's profit warning a day earlier. "Crest's unscheduled update stated that whilst reservation rates have so far been largely unaffected by the Middle East war, they are starting to see weakness emerge in visitor/enquiry levels, and prospects in the land market have deteriorated sharply," DB noted.

As a result, Crest downgraded FY26 volume expectations by around 11%, land sale revenue by 50% and now expects higher build cost inflation.

Guidance is for EBIT margins of 1-3% in FY26 - versus 6% in FY25 - and the group is expected to be loss-making at the pre-tax profit line - and consequently Crest is seeking a temporary banking covenant relaxation.

"We think that Crest can trade through this challenging situation without the need for external equity, but returns in the foreseeable future are expected to be well below its cost of equity," Deutsche said.

It said the downgrade and price target cut reflect the above and ongoing trading uncertainty.

At 1230 BST, the shares were up 0.7% at 70.50p, having tumbled on Tuesday.

Share this article

Related Sharecast Articles

NewRiver REIT ends year in line with analyst expectations
(Sharecast News) - NewRiver REIT said on Friday that full-year underlying funds from operations and EPRA net tangible assets per share were expected to be in line with analyst consensus, after a year in which it completed the integration of Capital & Regional and strengthened its balance sheet.
Berenberg lowers target price on Unilever
(Sharecast News) - Berenberg lowered its target price on consumer goods giant Unilever from £58.40 to £50.40 on Friday following the group's first quarter sales figures a day earlier.
Canaccord Genuity upgrades Halfords to 'buy'
(Sharecast News) - Analysts at Canaccord Genuity upgraded motoring and cycling products retailer Halfords from 'hold' to 'buy' on Friday following the group's "better-than-expected" second half trading performance.
Rotork backs full-year guidance after 'resilient' Q1
(Sharecast News) - Rotork backed its full-year guidance on Friday as the industrial valve manufacturer hailed a "resilient" first quarter.

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.

Award-winning online share dealing

Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.

Expert insights into investing your money

Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.