Next Share News (NXT)

Standard Chartered's rating on Friday was downgraded to 'sell' from 'hold' at Investec Securities as the scale and pace of the stock's absolute and relative share price recovery "has finally tipped us over the edge."The broker noted that year-to-date, the stock has materially outperformed all other FTSE100 banks sector, but, it is the "strength of the market's implicit endorsement of management change and a material strategic repositioning of the group as at odds with the scale of negative impact on expected financial performance."It added that although Standard Chartered can and should choose to avoid a capital raise, "we are not confident that it will remain resolute."As such, the broker reduces its target price on the stock to 970p from 1000p.Shares in recruiter Michael Page are trading below their average mid-cycle earnings multiples and analysts' estimates have now come down to sensible levels.Hence, owning stock in the later-cycle staffer "makes sense" to Morgan Stanley analysts Toby W Reeks and Allen D Wells, as they explained in a research note e-mailed to clients.Indeed, they admit the shares have performed strongly even in the face of the expected decline in analysts' earnings forecasts. In anticipation of that, in January they lowered their recommendation to equal-weight.In Friday's research note they lower their 2015 and 2016 estimates for the firm's earnings per share (EPS) by between 5% to 10%.However, they caution that should be taken in the context of highly cyclical earnings. Michael Page now trades on a 2016 forward price-to earnings ratio of 18.8 versus an average value of 20 times.Morgan Stanley upped its price target on the shares to 590p from 500p previously. The recommendation now returns to overweight.Fashion retailer Next's trading model is still solid but prospects of a reduced profit stream from credit customers, the company's admission that UK Directory may now be ex-growth and lowered guidance on sales, will lead markets to reassess the potential for the stock, analysts at Canaccord Genuity wrote on Friday.Analysts David Jeary and Mark Photiades reiterated their belief that the shares should be a core holding, thanks to its philosophy of continual enhancement of the Next brand.While the lowered sales guidance is in line with management's conservative style, when combined the above factors mean that total shareholder returns (TSR) of 9% can be expected. That is attractive but well below the between 18% to 25% increases seen over the fiscal years 2011 to 2015.The analysts write that: "If such a TSR were to become the new normal, we believe the shares would likely struggle to maintain the traditional premium to sector and peers enjoyed over recent years."