Proactive Investors - Marks and Spencer Group PLC (LON:MKS) is "mispriced" and has the potential for upward earnings revisions.
That is the view of retail analysts at Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), where the stock has been upgraded to 'buy' from 'neutral' with the price target upped 52% to 300p from 197p before.
“M&S is delivering on its turnaround and closing its performance gap to peers,” BofA said in a research note, “yet, it continues to screen as one of the cheapest stocks amongst peers.”
The bank noted the recently returned FTSE 100 company's shares trade for 10 times 2025 earnings per share compared to peers at 12 times, with a free cash flow yield of 10% while peers average 8%.
The bank thinks the margin potential for M&S' clothing & home business remains a key underappreciated part of the group's turnaround story.
Near-term, BofA expects the cyclical cost of goods sold headwinds to reverse (freight, FX, markdowns) and support a 100 basis points margin uplift over 2023-25, way above the current consensus of plus 10bps.
Medium-term, better online efficiencies could help C&H to reach its 10% margin target over five years against the consensus of 8.7%.
The bank also noted the UK consumer backdrop is showing some signs of improvement, which could support consumption and sentiment for consumer discretionary equities.
A softening labour market and elevated mortgage rates remain key risks, however.
Shares in M&S rose 1.1% to 237.70p.