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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 upgrades Marks & Spencer to 'buy', sees attractive entry point

(Sharecast News) - Citi upgraded Marks & Spencer on Monday to 'buy' from 'neutral' and lifted the price target to 440p from 380p as it said structural tailwinds are underappreciated. "With the shares 18% below pre-Cyber levels, we see an attractive entry point for a business with good underlying momentum," it said.

Citi said that in Fashion, app and survey data suggest M&S is gaining share with younger customers. The bank said its proprietary model implies this can add around 1.5 percentage points to its like-for-like sales per year.

In Food, meanwhile, Citi said its modelling suggests a larger mix of 'bigger baskets' is driving share gains as M&S benefits from trade down from restaurants.

"These tailwinds leave M&S well placed to outperform amid any UK macro uncertainty, and should add circa 4-5pp to LFLs per annum," it said.

"Looking beyond Cyber, we believe FX gross margin tailwinds and modest operating leverage will drive margin expansion to exceed M&S's CMD targets."

The bank said its new estimates are 7%/13% above Visible Alpha consensus for FY27e/FY28e adjusted pre-tax profit.

At 0850 BST, the shares were 2% higher at 349p.

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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.