Broker Watch

ASX Broker Moves: Big upgrades for ANZ, Fortescue and WOW, big cuts to NAB, James Hardie and Pilbara Minerals

Wed 26 Mar 25, 12:49pm (AEST)
asx boker moves
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Key Points

  • Upgrades: Catalyst Metals (CYL), Deterra Royalties (DRR), Fortescue (FMG), Helia (HLI), JB HI-FI (JBH), Judo Capital (JDO), Pro Medicus (PME), Ramelius (RMS), Smartpay (SMP), Woolworths (WOW).
  • Downgrades: A2 Milk (A2M), Endeavour (EDV), Liontown Resources (LTR), National Australia Bank (NAB), New Hope Corporation (NHC), Premier Investments (PMV), South32 (S32).
  • Target price biggest increases: ANZ Group (ANZ), QBE Insurance (QBE), Sandfire Resources (SFR), Catalyst Metals (CYL), EBR Systems (EBR), Gold Road Resources (GOR), Webjet (WJL).
  • Target price biggest cuts: Core Lithium (CXO), Delta Lithium (DLI), Galan Lithium (GLN), IGO (IGO), James Hardie (JHX), Patriot Battery Metals (PMT), Pilbara Minerals (PLS).

Welcome to today’s ASX Broker Moves – your most comprehensive source for recent changes in major broker ratings and price targets for the Australian stock market.

The tables below contain data on ratings upgrades, downgrades, and initiations, as well as the biggest price target changes among the broker research reports we’ve received since the last update on Tuesday 18 March.

You will find the full list of broker moves in tonight's edition of our Evening Wrap.


Broker Views Snippets

UBS on Fortescue (ASX: FMG): UPGRADED TO NEUTRAL ⬆️ FROM SELL

  • “We have re-assessed the outlook for FMG after the stock traded through our former price target of A$17.30/sh. Concerns on the iron ore price outlook we believe are overdone thanks to our expectation for prices to hold US$90-100/t for the next five years. We also see concerns on low grade discounts as overdone.”

  • Target price cut to $16.70 ⬇️ from $17.30 (+3.8% upside)

Macquarie on Woolworths Group (ASX: WOW): UPGRADED TO OUTPERFORM ⬆️ FROM NEUTRAL

  • “Initially, we see potential for a re-rate as the market becomes comfortable with risks around the ACCC report and election cycle, noting that this may take time given the upcoming Federal Election...Thereafter, we see upside risk on an earnings recovery as the group reviews its segments and seeks to leverage its strong assets and scale.”

  • Target price retained at $30.80 ↔️ (+6.6% upside)

Bell Potter on Smartpay (ASX: SMP): UPGRADED TO BUY ⬆️ FROM HOLD

  • “We turn more positive given strategic interest from several parties and consensus earnings already revised down on softer revenue margins and higher costs related to strategic NZ investment. Given a successful start to piloting the new terminal and acquiring solution, we expect a greater level of strategic interest for the group as it applies to NZ expansion and transformation, with SMP well placed to deploy 4,000+ on hand units when this is operationalised.”

  • Target price raised to $1.33 ⬆️ from $0.68 (+68.4% upside)

Morgan Stanley on CSL (ASX: CSL): INITIATED AT OVERWEIGHT | TARGET PRICE $313 🆕

  • “A solid revenue growth outlook and margin recovery for CSL Behring underpin group EPS growth of ~13% p.a. over the next three years. The current 12-month forward PE is more than one standard deviation below the 10-year average, with the PE premium to the ASX200 Industrials at 10-year lows.”

  • 21.9% upside to $313 target price

Ord Minnett on Clarity Pharmaceuticals (ASX: CU6): INITIATED AT BUY | TARGET PRICE $8.70 🆕

  • “Clarity's pipeline extends beyond prostate cancer to include neuroblastoma, neuroendocrine tumours, and HER2-positive breast cancer, indicating significant market potential. Upcoming trial results in 2025-2026 could boost the price target by 30%, with additional de-risking opportunities from trials in other cancer types. In summary, Clarity Pharmaceuticals is well-positioned for growth, with a robust pipeline, strong IP, and promising trial outcomes on the horizon.”

  • 256% upside to $8.70 target price

Morgan Stanley on ANZ Group (ASX: ANZ): RAISES TARGET PRICE TO $29.30 ⬆️ FROM $27.20

  • “ANZ has a differentiated institutional bank, positive momentum in Australian mortgages, good cost discipline, a much improved risk profile, and a wider than usual discount to peers following its share price under-performance in 2024.”

  • Rating retained at EQUAL-WEIGHT ↔️ | 2.5% upside to $27.20 target price

Canaccord Genuity on ASX Lithium: Liontown Resources (ASX: LTR) DOWNGRADED TO SELL ⬇️ FROM NEUTRAL & CUTS TARGET PRICE TO $0.65 ⬇️ FROM $0.70 | Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS) CUTS TARGET PRICE TO $2.70 ⬇️ FROM $3.50

  • “Little relief from low prices in the near term…supply growth from new projects and ramp-ups more than offset production cuts, with our forecasts calling for continued market surpluses until 2028. Following the inclusion of our updated price deck and the model revisions…our developers/explorers’ price targets decrease -24% and our producers decrease -15%.”

  • LTR 4% upside to $0.65 target price and PLS (retained BUY) 47.1% upside to $2.70 target price


Rating UPGRADED

Company

Broker

New Rating

Old Rating

Price Target

PT Upside%

Alcidion Group (ALC)

Bell Potter

Buy

Hold

$0.11

31.0%

Codan (CDA)

Macquarie

Outperform

Neutral

$17.00

5.5%

Challenger (CGF)

Ord Minnett

Buy

Hold

$7.00

17.6%

Cleanaway Waste Management (CWY)

Jarden

Buy

Overweight

$3.10

17.4%

Cleanaway Waste Management (CWY)

Morgans

Add

Hold

$2.95

11.7%

Catalyst Metals (CYL)

Bell Potter

Buy

Hold

$5.50

12.0%

Deterra Royalties (DRR)

Citi

Buy

Neutral

$4.50

22.3%

Fortescue (FMG)

UBS

Neutral

Sell

$16.70

3.8%

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation (FPH)

UBS

Buy

Neutral

NZ$37.30

12.8%

Gold Road Resources (GOR)

Argonaut Securities

Buy

Hold

$3.05

9.3%

Helia Group (HLI)

Macquarie

Neutral

Underperform

$3.55

-3.0%

JB HI-FI (JBH)

JP Morgan

Overweight

Neutral

$91.00

-2.1%

Judo Capital (JDO)

Morgans

Add

Hold

$2.08

15.6%

James Hardie Industries (JHX)

Jarden

Overweight

Neutral

$45.00

18.5%

James Hardie Industries (JHX)

Morgan Stanley

Overweight

Equal-Weight

$55.00

44.8%

Nanosonics (NAN)

Canaccord Genuity

Buy

Hold

$5.74

22.4%

National Storage Reit (NSR)

Moelis Australia

Buy

Hold

$2.37

7.2%

National Storage Reit (NSR)

UBS

Buy

Neutral

$2.49

12.7%

Pro Medicus (PME)

Morgans

Add

Hold

$250.00

8.7%

Premier Investments (PMV)

UBS

Buy

Neutral

$24.00

15.6%

Ramelius Resources (RMS)

Macquarie

Outperform

Neutral

$2.50

16.3%

Ramelius Resources (RMS)

Argonaut Securities

Buy

Hold

$3.00

39.5%

Smartpay (SMP)

Bell Potter

Buy

Hold

$1.33

68.4%

Webjet (WJL)

CLSA

Outperform

Hold

$1.00

88.7%

Woolworths Group (WOW)

Macquarie

Outperform

Neutral

$30.80

6.6%

Biggest broker price target changes since last update. Price Target Upside/Downside (“PT Upside%”) values in the last column are based on closing prices on most recent session's close.

Rating DOWNGRADED

Company

Broker

New Rating

Old Rating

Price Target

PT Upside%

The A2 Milk Company (A2M)

Ord Minnett

Hold

Accumulate

$7.70

-4.0%

Capricorn Metals (CMM)

Canaccord Genuity

Hold

Buy

$8.70

6.2%

Endeavour Group (EDV)

Goldman Sachs

Neutral

Buy

$4.50

17.5%

James Hardie Industries (JHX)

Macquarie

Neutral

Outperform

$44.00

15.8%

Liontown Resources (LTR)

Canaccord Genuity

Sell

Hold

$0.65

4.0%

Medical Developments International (MVP)

Bell Potter

Hold

Buy

$0.71

27.9%

National Australia Bank (NAB)

Morgan Stanley

Equal-Weight

Overweight

$34.80

3.1%

Nanosonics (NAN)

JP Morgan

Underweight

Neutral

$4.00

-14.7%

New Hope Corporation (NHC)

Citi

Neutral

Buy

$4.20

10.8%

Premier Investments (PMV)

Ord Minnett

Accumulate

Buy

$23.60

13.7%

South32 (S32)

UBS

Neutral

Buy

$3.70

5.4%

Webjet (WJL)

Morgans

Hold

Add

$0.65

22.6%

Biggest broker price target changes since last update. Price Target Upside/Downside (“PT Upside%”) values in the last column are based on closing prices on most recent session's close.

Rating INITIATED

Company

Broker

New Rating

Old Rating

Price Target

PT Upside%

Apiam Animal Health (AHX)

Canaccord Genuity

Buy

 

$0.63

68.0%

Ansell (ANN)

Morgan Stanley

Equal-Weight

 

$37.20

9.4%

Cuscal Group (CCL)

Bell Potter

Buy

 

$3.40

27.8%

Cochlear (COH)

Morgan Stanley

Underweight

 

$267.00

0.2%

CSL (CSL)

Morgan Stanley

Overweight

 

$313.00

21.9%

Clarity Pharmaceuticals (CU6)

Ord Minnett

Buy

 

$8.70

256.6%

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation (FPH)

Morgan Stanley

Equal-Weight

 

NZ$36.30

9.8%

Omega Oil & Gas (OMA)

Morgans

Buy

 

$0.64

45.5%

Ramsay Health Care (RHC)

Morgan Stanley

Equal-Weight

 

$36.10

7.9%

Resmed Inc (RMD)

Morgan Stanley

Overweight

 

US$280.00

26.5%

Sonic Healthcare (SHL)

Morgan Stanley

Equal-Weight

 

$28.10

9.3%

Turaco Gold (TCG)

Morgans

Buy

 

$1.05

208.8%

Tesoro Gold (TSO)

Morgans

Buy

 

$0.11

254.8%

Biggest broker price target changes since last update. Price Target Upside/Downside (“PT Upside%”) values in the last column are based on closing prices on most recent session's close.

Price Target BIGGEST CHANGE

Company

Broker

Rating

New PT

Old PT

PT Change%

PT Upside%

Smartpay (SMP)

Bell Potter

Buy

$1.33

$0.68

95.6%

68.4%

Nanosonics (NAN)

Canaccord Genuity

Buy

$5.74

$4.47

28.4%

22.4%

Catalyst Metals (CYL)

Bell Potter

Buy

$5.50

$4.45

23.6%

12.0%

Nanosonics (NAN)

Morgans

Add

$5.50

$4.50

22.2%

17.3%

Webjet (WJL)

Ord Minnett

Buy

$1.59

$1.32

20.5%

200.0%

EBR Systems (EBR)

Bell Potter

Buy

$2.69

$2.26

19.0%

36.5%

Generation Development Group (GDG)

Morgans

Add

$5.59

$4.75

17.7%

11.1%

Findi (FND)

Ord Minnett

Buy

$11.05

$9.48

16.6%

156.4%

Ramelius Resources (RMS)

Argonaut Securities

Buy

$3.00

$2.60

15.4%

39.5%

Nufarm (NUF)

Bell Potter

Buy

$4.75

$4.35

9.2%

22.1%

Ramelius Resources (RMS)

Macquarie

Outperform

$2.50

$2.30

8.7%

16.3%

Gold Road Resources (GOR)

Bell Potter

Buy

$3.20

$2.95

8.5%

14.7%

ANZ Group (ANZ)

Morgan Stanley

Equal-Weight

$29.30

$27.20

7.7%

2.5%

QBE Insurance Group (QBE)

CLSA

Outperform

$25.00

$23.30

7.3%

14.3%

Sandfire Resources (SFR)

Morgans

Hold

$11.80

$11.00

7.3%

3.1%

AIC Mines (A1M)

Bell Potter

Buy

$0.66

$0.62

6.5%

67.1%

Navigator Global Investments (NGI)

Ord Minnett

Buy

$2.50

$2.35

6.4%

38.1%

Brickworks (BKW)

Morgans

Hold

$26.50

$25.00

6.0%

10.0%

Challenger (CGF)

Ord Minnett

Buy

$7.00

$6.65

5.3%

17.6%

Gold Road Resources (GOR)

Argonaut Securities

Buy

$3.05

$2.90

5.2%

9.3%

Deep Yellow (DYL)

Macquarie

Outperform

$1.90

$2.00

-5.0%

71.2%

REA Group (REA)

Bell Potter

Buy

$264.00

$281.00

-6.0%

13.5%

Mineral Resources (MIN)

Citi

Neutral

$28.00

$30.00

-6.7%

16.3%

National Australia Bank (NAB)

Morgan Stanley

Equal-Weight

$34.80

$37.40

-7.0%

3.1%

Liontown Resources (LTR)

Canaccord Genuity

Sell

$0.65

$0.70

-7.1%

4.0%

Ioneer (INR)

Canaccord Genuity

Buy

$0.25

$0.27

-7.4%

66.7%

South32 (S32)

UBS

Neutral

$3.70

$4.00

-7.5%

5.4%

Premier Investments (PMV)

Morgan Stanley

Overweight

$29.50

$32.00

-7.8%

42.1%

Stanmore Resources (SMR)

Citi

Buy

$3.10

$3.40

-8.8%

41.6%

Iluka Resources (ILU)

Citi

Neutral

$5.10

$5.60

-8.9%

20.3%

Premier Investments (PMV)

Jarden

Neutral

$21.70

$23.90

-9.2%

4.5%

Myer (MYR)

Ord Minnett

Accumulate

$0.86

$0.95

-9.5%

26.5%

Premier Investments (PMV)

Ord Minnett

Accumulate

$23.60

$26.15

-9.8%

13.7%

James Hardie Industries (JHX)

Morgans

Add

$54.00

$60.00

-10.0%

42.1%

DGL Group (DGL)

UBS

Neutral

$0.53

$0.59

-10.2%

7.1%

Micro-X (MX1)

Morgans

Buy

$0.17

$0.19

-10.5%

174.2%

Macquarie Group (MQG)

Morgan Stanley

Overweight

$224.00

$253.00

-11.5%

9.4%

Whitehaven Coal (WHC)

Morgan Stanley

Overweight

$8.05

$9.10

-11.5%

48.5%

Endeavour Group (EDV)

Goldman Sachs

Neutral

$4.50

$5.10

-11.8%

17.5%

Premier Investments (PMV)

Bell Potter

Buy

$30.00

$34.00

-11.8%

44.5%

Fortescue (FMG)

Citi

Neutral

$17.50

$20.00

-12.5%

8.8%

Vulcan Energy Resources (VUL)

Canaccord Genuity

Buy

$10.00

$11.75

-14.9%

110.5%

Helia Group (HLI)

Macquarie

Neutral

$3.55

$4.20

-15.5%

-3.0%

James Hardie Industries (JHX)

Jarden

Overweight

$45.00

$53.50

-15.9%

18.5%

Wildcat Resources (WC8)

Canaccord Genuity

Buy

$0.50

$0.60

-16.7%

194.1%

Premier Investments (PMV)

UBS

Buy

$24.00

$30.00

-20.0%

15.6%

IGO (IGO)

Canaccord Genuity

Sell

$3.50

$4.40

-20.5%

-15.3%

New Hope Corporation (NHC)

Citi

Neutral

$4.20

$5.30

-20.8%

10.8%

James Hardie Industries (JHX)

JP Morgan

Overweight

$45.50

$58.50

-22.2%

19.8%

Lotus Resources (LOT)

Bell Potter

Buy

$0.35

$0.45

-22.2%

89.2%

Pilbara Minerals (PLS)

Canaccord Genuity

Buy

$2.70

$3.50

-22.9%

47.1%

Premier Investments (PMV)

JP Morgan

Overweight

$24.80

$32.90

-24.6%

19.5%

Helia Group (HLI)

Goldman Sachs

Neutral

$3.70

$4.99

-25.9%

1.1%

Core Lithium (CXO)

Canaccord Genuity

Hold

$0.08

$0.11

-27.3%

5.3%

Delta Lithium (DLI)

Canaccord Genuity

Buy

$0.35

$0.50

-30.0%

105.9%

Winsome Resources (WR1)

Canaccord Genuity

Buy

$1.20

$1.75

-31.4%

336.4%

James Hardie Industries (JHX)

Macquarie

Neutral

$44.00

$65.00

-32.3%

15.8%

Webjet (WJL)

Morgans

Hold

$0.65

$1.05

-38.1%

22.6%

Patriot Battery Metals (PMT)

Canaccord Genuity

Buy

$0.55

$0.90

-38.9%

77.4%

Medical Developments International (MVP)

Bell Potter

Hold

$0.71

$1.60

-55.6%

27.9%

Betmakers Technology Group (BET)

Canaccord Genuity

Buy

$0.20

$0.75

-73.3%

102.0%

Galan Lithium (GLN)

Canaccord Genuity

Buy

$0.18

$0.75

-76.0%

56.5%

Biggest broker price target changes greater than +5% / -5% since last update. Price Target Upside/Downside (“PT Upside%”) values in the last column are based on closing prices as on most recent session's close.

How to read broker recommendations 🔎

Typically, there are two major components of a broker’s view:

Rating: A call to action, usually along the lines of buy, hold, or sell, but depending on the broker’s ratings system, can be somewhere in between (e.g., accumulate or add is typically between a hold and a buy).

Price target (PT): The price at which the broker expects the stock will be trading at some point in the future, generally within the next 12 months.

Written By

Carl Capolingua

Content Editor

Carl has over 30-year's investing experience, helping investors navigate several bull and bear markets over this time. He is a well respected markets commentator who specialises in how the global macro impacts Australian and US equities. Carl has a passion for technical analysis and has taught his unique brand of price-action trend following to thousands of Aussie investors.

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