These two UK-based companies will report their 2022 annual results this week. Let’s have a look at analysts’ views on them.
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Financial services companies Legal & General (GB:LGEN) and Just Eat (GB:JUST) will announce their 2022 earnings this week. Analysts have a bullish outlook on both stocks and expect positive numbers for 2022.
The TipRanks Earnings Calendar for the UK market is a perfect way to screen such companies that are set to announce their next earnings. Investors could further dive into more research on these stocks to make a more informed decision.
Let’s explore further:
Legal & General Group PLC
Legal & General is a leading financial company based in the UK that provides insurance, pensions, retirement, and other asset management services.
Analysts are optimistic about the company based on its dominant position in the industry, which provides stable revenues, and its consistent dividend payments. The company will report its Q4 and full-year earnings for 2022 on March 8. The forecasted EPS for the fourth quarter is 0.17p, slightly more than the EPS of 0.16p in the same quarter of 2021. The operating profit growth is expected at 8%.
The company is on track with its five-year plan to generate £8-£9 billion of cumulative capital between 2020 and 2024.
In terms of dividends, analysts expect a dividend yield of 7.4% in 2022 and 8% in 2023. The company aims to increase its dividends at a 5% rate annually over the next two years.
Legal & General Share Price Forecast
According to TipRanks’ analyst consensus, LGEN stock has a Moderate Buy rating. The stock has four Buy and five Hold recommendations.
The LGEN share price forecast is 317.33p, which is 20.2% higher than the current price level.
JUST Group PLC
Just Group is a financial services company catering to the UK retirement income market.
The group’s fourth quarter and full-year results for 2022 will be released on March 7. According to TipRanks, the forecasted EPS for the fourth quarter is 0.15p. This is a significant improvement over the EPS of 0.04p in the same quarter a year ago.
The company recently announced its trading and IFRS 17 updates for 2022. The company’s retirement income sales grew by 17% to £3.1 billion during the year. It is targeting a growth of 15% in its underlying operating profit on a yearly basis. Analysts believe the company will achieve its full-year guidance numbers in 2022, driven by higher interest rates.
Ahead of its final results, analysts are highly bullish on the stock and have reiterated their Buy ratings. The stock has been trading down by more than 8% in the last five days, which makes it more attractive for investors.
Just Group Share Price Target
JUST stock has a Strong Buy rating on TipRanks, based on all six Buy recommendations.
The average target price is 131.67p, which implies an upside of 65.2% on the current trading price.
Conclusion
For Legal & General, analysts are bullish on the 2022 results and rate the stock highly for long-term investors. With its five-year plan for higher growth in capital generation and dividends, the company seems to be committed to its shareholders.
As for JUST Group, the higher interest rate will drive more profits for the company in 2022. Analysts are more bullish on JUST stock in terms of its share price growth, with more than a 60% upside.
