There have been plenty of broker updates this week, with fresh recommendations and revised price targets for some prominent ASX shares.
Today, we spotlight Technology One Ltd (ASX: TNE), Santos Ltd (ASX: STO), and ALS Ltd (ASX: ALQ) after the crowd of analysts covering these stocks changed their ratings.
Broker ratings on ASX shares
The first ASX share is the testing services company ALS. Jarden cut its rating on ALS this week to hold with a price target of $14.40 apiece.
Not all agree. Morgans rates the ASX 100 stock a buy, and has a $15.50 price target. ALS closed at $15.50 on Tuesday, in line with Morgans' valuation.
Still, Morgans believes ALS stands to benefit from its position in geochemistry testing, which commands an approximate 50% market share globally.
The broker also sees the ASX share's exposure to commodities as a positive, predicting cyclical volume recovery to potentially arrive within the next three to 12 months.
Santos catching a bid
ASX energy share Santos has seen a rating upgrade from Citi, which shifted its recommendation to buy with a $7.60 price target, according to The Australian.
Citi joins fellow broker Ord Minnett, who rates it a buy and has a $8.50 price target.
Ord cites Santos's free cash flow outlook. This is underpinned by key projects like Pikka and Barossa LNG, as a primary reason for its bullish stance.
Once operational, these projects are expected to deliver a free cash flow yield up to 20%.
Technology one races higher
Software company Technology One has drawn mixed reactions from brokers this week despite delivering strong FY24 results.
Goldman Sachs raised its price target by 12% on the ASX share to $26.90. Meanwhile, Wilsons has taken a more bullish stance, lifting its target by 47% to $32.69.
On the flip side, Macquarie and Barrenjoey have downgraded their recommendations to hold and sell, respectively.
The brokers have also set price targets of $27.90 and $25.20 apiece, respectively.
This divergence in opinion comes as Technology One's share price continues to trade at all-time highs. Investors responded well to the company's 18% increase in pre-tax profits and 20% surge in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in its annual results.
Management is also highly optimistic, targeting $1 billion in ARR by FY30.
ASX shares takeaway
These ASX shares present unique opportunities and challenges, and brokers have set their ratings on each.
Remember that while broker opinions are grounded in economic theory and solid research, there is no crystal ball, so they are predictions, not facts.
Always consider a long-term view when making any investment appraisals.
