On Wednesday, Deutsche Bank (ETR:DBKGn) maintained a Buy rating on A.G. Barr Plc. (BAG:LN) stock and increased the price target to £7.60 from £7.60, citing a solid first-half performance despite a challenging trading environment.
The UK-based soft drink company outperformed the market with a 7% growth in its core business during the first half of the year, compared to the market's 2% growth. This success was attributed to distribution gains, new product innovations, and effective brand investment.
The analyst from Deutsche Bank highlighted A.G. Barr's margin rebuild plan, which is progressing well through several key projects. The firm's confidence in the long-term margin opportunity for the business is strengthened by this progress.
Management's goals include achieving mid-single-digit top-line growth, mid-teens operating margins, and a 20% return on capital employed (ROCE) over the medium term, which indicates the company's strategic positioning for future growth.
Adjustments to A.G. Barr's forecasts were made based on the first half numbers, with no changes to the fiscal year 2025 estimates but slight modifications to outer year sales growth expectations, now set at 4.5% across the forecast period.
These updates led to minimal changes at an adjusted earnings per share (EPS) level. Additionally, Deutsche Bank has introduced forecasts for the fiscal year 2029 into their model.
A.G. Barr's shares are currently trading at 15.5 times price-to-earnings (PE) and 8.5 times enterprise value to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EV/EBITDA) for the calendar year 2025 estimates. The new price target of £7.60 reflects the analyst's optimism about the company's long-term growth prospects.
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