Moody’s downgrades Senegal to Caa1 amid rising debt concerns
Investing.com -- Deutsche Bank downgraded Barry Callebaut AG (SIX:BARN) to “hold” from “buy,” saying the chocolate maker’s share price has risen too quickly relative to its earnings outlook.
The brokerage kept its target price unchanged at CHF1000, below the last close of CHF1110.
Analyst Tom Sykes flagged that Barry Callebaut’s stock has rallied sharply following the release of its nine-month results in July.
The share price has climbed 19% in euros since the day before the results and 38% from the closing level on the day of the results.
Over the same period, the forward 12-month earnings in euros have fallen by 6%, while the price-to-earnings ratio has risen by 25%.
Meanwhile, the cocoa price, a key input for the company, has declined by 17% in euros since the results, a factor that contrasts with the stock’s strong performance.
Deutsche Bank noted that earlier expectations of a continued rally were partly supported by geo-location data used as a proxy for company supply chain activity.
That data had been increasing prior to the downgrade but has now moved into negative growth. Historically, the bank said, such data tends to lead Barry Callebaut’s share price by around two months.