ASX financial shares are in the red on Thursday, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) down 0.05%.
By comparison, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up 0.4%.
Let's take a look at some new broker recommendations.
2 ASX financial shares to sell
Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG)
This ASX financial share is $10.50 apiece, up 1.9% on Thursday and up 51% over the past six months.
On The Bull, Arthur Garipoli of Seneca Financial Solutions revealed a sell rating on Magellan shares.
Garipoli explained:
This fund manager invests in global equities. Operating profit of $159.7 million in fiscal year 2025 was up 5 per cent on the prior corresponding period. However, statutory net profit after tax of $165 million was down 31 per cent.
We see downside risks to consensus in response to lower associate profits, higher sub-advisory fees and lower distribution income.
We also see risks to upside in regard to potential outflows.
The Magellan share price has risen from $6.99 on 9 April to $10.50 today.
Garipoli concludes: "Investors may want to consider cashing in some gains."
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)
CBA is not only the largest ASX financial share but also the biggest listed company on the market following astonishing price growth.
The CBA share price rose by 85% during its bull run from November 2023 to June 2025, when it reached a record of $192 per share.
CBA shares have since unwound some of their meteoric gains.
Today, the CBA share price is $168.56, down 0.5% for the day.
On The Bull this week, Damien Nguyen from Morgans has a sell rating on CBA shares.
CBA is a high quality bank with strong market share, but its valuation is stretched relative to peers. It trades on a significantly higher price-to-earnings ratio compared to global counterparts.
Slowing credit growth, margin compression and rising household financial stress poses a risk to earnings. With limited upside and a premium valuation, we believe it's prudent to lock in some gains and rotate into better value financials.
2 ASX financial shares to buy
Pinnacle Investment Management Group (ASX: PNI)
This ASX financial share is $18.75 apiece, up 2% for the day and up 28% over the past six months.
Nguyen has a buy rating on Pinnacle Investment Management shares.
He explains:
Pinnacle offers leveraged exposure to the growth of active funds management via its multi-affiliate model across equities and private credit, among other alternatives.
With stakes in a range of boutique managers amid a scalable platform supporting distribution and infrastructure, the business benefits from diversified earnings and embedded operating leverage.
Strong affiliate performance and offshore expansion provide catalysts for long term growth.
We believe the stock is undervalued relative to its quality and growth profile.
AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP)
The AMP share price is $1.68 on Thursday, up 1.5% for the day and up 54% over the past six months.
In a note, Ord Minnett maintained its 12-month price target of $1.95 but downgraded its recommendation from buy to accumulate on valuation grounds.
The broker said AMP's recent class action settlement "was a better outcome than we expected in terms of both costs and timing".
Ord Minnett commented:
This encouraging result means investors' thoughts will turn to the potential for capital management given management's previous conservatism as it focused on resolving outstanding legal challenges and setting the business up for growth after a long period of consolidation as it dealt with operational issues.
On our calculations, AMP will have excess capital of almost $300 million by the end of CY25, which equates to circa 10 cents per share.
