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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.

Shore Capital downgrades Next to 'hold', pauses for breath

(Sharecast News) - Shore Capital downgraded clothing and homeware retailer Next on Tuesday to 'hold' from 'buy' as it said it was a premium company, but at a premium valuation. It noted that following another very strong quarter, Next has seen its share price rise to around £143, now up nearly 50% since the start of the year following four upgrades to FY26F guidance.

"While we remain firm fans of the company under Lord Wolfson's excellent leadership, with the current strength of the shares and high valuation premium (CY26F PER of 18.5x) we take pause for breath and downgrade our recommendation to hold with a raised fair value of 14,750p (up from 14,000p)," the broker said.

"To be clear, this is not a top-slice stance but rather a case that we would no longer suggest an increase in holdings with shares priced at the current level."

Shore Capital also said on Tuesday that it was lifting its FY26 revenue forecast to £6.7bn from £6.6bn and its pre-tax profit forecast to £1.14bn from £1.11bn.

At 1355 GMT, Next shares were down 0.5% at 14,239.44p.

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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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