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Investing.com -- UBS upgraded its rating on 3i Group (LON:III) to “buy” from “neutral,” raising its price target to £47 from £44.50.
Shares of the private equity and venture capital company were up 3% at 05:48 ET (09:48 GMT).
The decision comes after the brokerage increased its stake in Action, the discount retailer that represents more than 70% of 3i’s portfolio. UBS cited Action’s resilience and stabilizing like-for-like sales growth as reasons for confidence in long-term performance.
The new target price reflects the higher euro value of 3i’s enlarged stake in Action, now at 60.1% following a 2.2% purchase from GIC, partially offset by the increased share count from issuing new shares.
UBS said the deal is immediately accretive to 3i’s net asset value and interpreted GIC’s decision to take shares rather than cash as a sign of confidence in Action’s future growth.
Action reported like-for-like sales growth of 6.5% in 2025 to date, despite weaker consumer spending in France and Germany and disruptions from strikes in France.
UBS expects this level of growth to remain sustainable, supporting continued valuation strength.
The retailer has also accelerated its path to profitability for new stores, with some locations reaching breakeven in under a year. UBS forecasts Action’s revenue to grow at a 17% compound annual rate between 2025 and 2028, underpinned by its identified potential to add nearly 4,850 stores across Europe.
Beyond Action, 3i has recently exited two assets acquired in 2020–21 at multiples above 2.5 times invested capital.
UBS said these disposals, along with a recovering private equity cycle, suggest that 3i’s wider portfolio could return to high-teens percentage returns on equity.
This supports the investment case that the company’s valuation should not be limited to Action alone.
UBS’s valuation implies that the market is pricing Action at about 24 times 2026 forecast enterprise value-to-EBITDA and 40 times price-to-earnings.
The brokerage considers these multiples justified by forecast earnings growth of 20% on a compound basis between 2024 and 2028.
With 3i trading at about 1.2 times forward price-to-book, its lowest level since early 2024, UBS described the shares as offering an attractive entry point.