Bullish indicating open at $55-$60, IPO prices at $37
Investing.com - JPMorgan has downgraded Legal & General Group PLC (LON:LGEN) from Overweight to Neutral while reducing its price target to GBP2.75 from GBP2.90.
The financial services company reported first-half 2025 operating profit that beat market consensus but aligned with JPMorgan’s expectations. Following these results, management raised guidance for back-book optimisation in profit and management actions in Solvency II.
Despite the improved guidance, JPMorgan is only modestly raising its forecasts for the company, noting "limited scope for positive surprises relative to current consensus."
The downgrade reflects JPMorgan’s more cautious stance on Legal & General based on several factors, including relative valuation and ongoing negative investment variances that are weighing on net profit.
Additional concerns cited in the downgrade include dividends and buybacks not being covered by free cash flow, along with rising competition in the UK Pension Risk Transfer (PRT) market.
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