Kingfisher: Branded Pricing Gains Offset by Own-Brand Weakness, Justifying a Hold Recommendation

Kingfisher, the Consumer Cyclical sector company, was revisited by a Wall Street analyst today. Analyst Grace Gilberg from Jefferies maintained a Hold rating on the stock and has a p303.00 price target.

Grace Gilberg’s rating is based on a balance between Kingfisher’s solid competitive position in branded products and lingering pricing pressures in own-brand ranges. Her latest pricing work indicates that B&Q is generally holding its own against Wickes on branded items, and has slightly narrowed the pricing gap versus Amazon, suggesting some progress in maintaining customer appeal in a highly competitive market.

At the same time, Kingfisher still trails Wickes on own- and exclusive-brand assortments, where Wickes maintains a meaningful price edge that becomes even more pronounced once trade discounts and delivery costs are factored in. Given the strategic importance of trade professionals to the group, this relative disadvantage limits upside to margin and volume expectations. Taken together, the modest improvement against Amazon but persistent weakness versus Wickes in key categories supports a more neutral stance, leading Gilberg to reaffirm a Hold rather than move to a more positive or negative recommendation.

In another report released today, TipRanks – DeepSeek also reiterated a Hold rating on the stock with a p324.00 price target.

Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 22 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is neutral on the stock.