Companies: DDC    JJB    PWR    THT   

Opining that it should be ‘a core holding’ in the sector, the travel and leisure team at Numis reckon AIM counter Powerleague is ‘well positioned to capitalise and expand on its position as one of the leaders in the UK five-a-side football market’. The comments followed recent annual results to June that came in ahead of expectations. Targeting a price of 129p for the shares, the broker argues the group is insulated from a potential consumer slowdown by its economical £5 to £7 price per player per game.

Among high street players, Full List confectionery retailer Thorntons is one to hold onto. First-quarter like-for-like sales increased 9.6 per cent – ‘significantly higher’ than expected – with online sales improving 47 per cent. ‘We believe Thorntons is an attractive recovery play and believe there is scope to increase our target price if the company trades well during the Christmas period,’ the broker asserts.

JJB sporting a chance
Analyst Jose Marco-Tobares has turned bullish on sports retailer JJB, having previously been bearish on prospects. ‘Consensus forecasts are currently too low in our view’ and like-for-likes should be ‘positive’, he writes. With experienced new chief executive Chris Ronnie in place, Marco-Tobares believes JJB ‘represents an attractive recovery play’.

In the property sector, Colette Ord posits that the recent share price weakness at Dawnay, Day Carpathian has presented investors with an ‘excellent’ buying opportunity, with a well-supported dividend yield of ten per cent. She views the shares as ‘comparatively and fundamentally under-valued’.