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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.

Jefferies downgrades Softcat to 'underperform'

(Sharecast News) - Analysts at Jefferies downgraded IT infrastructure provider Softcat to 'underperform' on Friday, citing "incremental caution" around the IT services sector. Jefferies thinks FY24 consensus estimates for Softcat look "reasonable" but noted that FY25-26 consensus of 12-13% underlying earnings growth was already ahead of the company's typical framework to target low double-digit gross profit growth and high single-digit EBIT growth.

"We think this puts downward pressure on consensus," said Jefferies.

The investment bank also noted that Softcat trades on one of the highest valuations in European tech, with valuations that were more consistent with roughly 20-25% EBIT growth.

"Given the forecast risk, this premium valuation looks exposed," said Jefferies. "We align DCF assumptions with the same metrics used at Bytes, leading us to downgrade our price target to 1,490.0p and move our rating to 'underperform'."

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com

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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.

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