Deutsche Bank upgrades Wickes to 'hold' as earnings risk eases

What Brokers Say Retail & Consumer Written by: Ian Lyall 07:00 Fri 18 Sep 2026 --> Disclaimer No investment advice About this content Editorial Standards & Policies Share article About this content × About Ian Lyall Ian Lyall, a seasoned journalist and editor, brings over three decades of experience to his role as Managing Editor at Proactive. Overseeing Proactive's editorial and broadcast operations across six offices on three continents, Ian is responsible for quality control, editorial policy, and content production. He directs the creation of 50,000 pieces of real-time news, feature articles, and filmed interviews annually. Prior to Proactive, Ian helped lead the business output at the Daily... Read more About the publisher Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists. Proactive news team spans the world’s key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth. We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors. The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies. Use of technology Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter. Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows. Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation. Wickes Group PLC ( LSE:WIX ) View Price & Profile Deutsche Bank upgrades Wickes to 'hold' as earnings risk eases Published: 07:00 18 Sep 2026 EDT Deutsche Bank has upgraded Wickes Group PLC (LSE:WIX) , the home improvement retailer, from 'sell' to 'hold', raising its price target to 210p from 165p. Analyst Benjamin Yokyong-Zoega said the bank believed downside risk to earnings had eased, supported by better current trading and a growing pipeline of projects based on Deutsche Bank's own survey data. Weaker demand for big-ticket purchases remains a cyclical headwind for the retailer, while rising inflation is unhelpful for consumer confidence. Deutsche Bank said it liked Wickes' business model, management team and value-focused brand positioning, and expects the company to continue gaining market share in a difficult market. The company's own guidance implies profit before tax growth of around 20% in the second half of the year, supported by improving like-for-like sales and further cost savings. Wickes shares have fallen 18% so far this year and trade at about 11 times Deutsche Bank's 2026 earnings forecast, compared with about 11 times for Kingfisher, the B&Q owner. Shares closed at 193p at their last close, below Deutsche Bank's new 210p price target. Continue reading