0328 GMT - CAR Group keeps its bull at Citi despite the hit to revenue from delayed price rises at its U.S. business. Analyst Siraj Ahmed tells clients in a note that he expects revenue growth at the Australian vehicle advertiser's Trader Interactive unit to pick up in fiscal 2026. He expects this U.S. growth, combined with strong growth in Brazil and South Korea, to drive roughly 15% Ebitda growth in each of the next two fiscal years. Less positively, he does say there is some risk of higher operating-expense growth over the same period. Citi lifts its target price by 2.4% to A$43.40 and maintains a buy rating. Shares are up 0.2% at A$37.39. ([email protected])

2347 GMT - Evolution Mining avoids widespread selling pressure on Australia's benchmark ASX 200 index today after posting a 1H earnings beat, but Jefferies stays cautious on the gold producer. Evolution's 1H Ebitda was 7% higher than analyst Mitch Ryan's expectations. Net debt fell to A$1.48 billion and gearing is declining. Recent cash generation, improved operational consistency, and strong commodity prices will continue to support Evolution's efforts to bring debt down, Jefferies says. "However we remain cautious ahead of crystallization of several significant projects' capital over FY 2025, required to maintain long-term production volume, which could limit free cash flow generation until FY 2030," Jefferies says. The stock is up 1.1%. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

2337 GMT - Suncorp shares are up 4.2%, the second-highest gainer on Australia's benchmark ASX 200 index, after its 1H earnings beat expectations. Suncorp reported a A$1.1 billion net profit, well above Citi's A$990 million forecast. "While most of the beat is due to favorable weather, there is also a slightly stronger result from NZ Life and slightly stronger than expected net insurance revenue growth," analyst Nigel Pittaway says. Citi, which has a neutral call on Suncorp, says the capital return to shareholders from proceeds of selling Suncorp Bank to ANZ looks in line with expectations. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

2336 GMT - Breville plans to sell directly into China and Citi thinks the appliance maker's learnings from South Korea could increase its chances of success there. Analyst Sam Teeger notes that both markets are highly digital, with 98% of Breville products in China already sold online. Breville launched in South Korea in June 2022 and it has already surpassed New Zealand in terms of gross profit. That suggests Breville may have found an approach that works well with markets that mainly transact online, Citi says. "Taking this into consideration, as well as the 32% increase in disposable income that Breville is exposed to from direct entry into China, we see this as a significant opportunity," Citi says. It retains a "neutral" call on Breville's stock. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

2331 GMT - Breville plans to sell directly into China and Citi thinks the appliances maker's learnings from South Korea could increase its chances of success there. Analyst Sam Teeger notes that both markets are highly digital, with 98% of Breville products in China already sold online. Breville launched in South Korea in June 2022 and it has already surpassed New Zealand in terms of gross profit. That suggests Breville may have found an approach that works well with markets that mainly transact online, Citi says. "Taking this into consideration, as well as the 32% increase in disposable income that Breville is exposed to from direct entry into China, we see this as a significant opportunity," Citi says. It retains a neutral call on Breville's stock. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

2300 GMT - Commonwealth Bank's bear at Citi doesn't see anything in the lender's first-half result to justify its recent share-price run. Analyst Brendan Sproules acknowledges that CBA's cash earnings were about 1.5% ahead of his forecast, but tells clients in a note that the overall result is solid rather than strong. He adds that asset quality and loan growth were the key positives, but points out that management expects both to moderate as the economy slows. Citi has a last-published sell rating and A$91.50 target price on the stock, which is at A$162.16 ahead of the open. ([email protected])

2242 GMT - Bravura Solutions' latest guidance upgrade should be well received by investors given how swiftly it follows the last, E&P analyst Olivier Coulon says. He tells clients in a note that he expects the Australian software developer's shares to outperform even though its first-half underlying profit fell short of forecasts. Coulon points out that the improved earnings guidance range is 12% higher at the midpoint than that issued by the company only in December. The latest upgrade appears to be at least partly revenue led, he adds. E&P has a positive rating and A$2.21 target price on the stock, which is at A$2.31 ahead of the open. ([email protected])

2230 GMT - CSL's vaccines business is in need of a shot in the arm. UBS says CSL's Seqirus unit missed its 1H revenue forecast by 6% as U.S. demand weakened again. Analyst Laura Sutcliffe thinks elevated flu cases in FY 2025 will drive a recovery in immunization rates the following year, but probably not back to FY 2024 levels. "In general, margins tend to scale with sales in vaccines," UBS says. Government contracts for H5 (bird flu) pandemic readiness are a bright spot. UBS estimates revenue from these contracts at US$150 million in 2H, building on an estimated in US$60 million in 1H. Still, UBS believes the percentage drop in FY 2025 vaccine sales will be in the mid-to-high teens when these contracts are excluded. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

2217 GMT - The a2 Milk Company's bull at Citi is even more positive on the infant-formula manufacturer's local-label prospects in China following a visit to the country. Analyst Sam Teeger tells clients in a note that manufacturing dates on tins are relatively more recent than those he saw a year ago, which he takes as a sign of underlying product sell-through. He acknowledges that he only visited 10 supermarkets and baby stores, but says that this evidence is consistent with recent port data. Citi has a buy rating and A$7.33 target price on the stock, which is at A$5.78 ahead of the open. ([email protected])

(END) Dow Jones Newswires