…and some to hold, avoid or sell

ASOS The Mail on Sunday

Shares in the “sassy” online fashion retailer are up 50-fold since 2006: Asos, valued at £4.7bn, is still expanding globally. But there’s no dividend and shares are vulnerable: sell half a holding to bank a profit. Sell. £56.81.

HSS Hire Group Investors Chronicle

The move to a new operating model (it has closed 68 branches) is exacting a “heavy toll” on the equipment hire provider. Liberum fears the results of a strategic review will have a “negative impact” on refinancing attempts. Sell. 48p. The challenger bank has grown its loan book and deposits at an “extraordinary rate”. But it is only just profitable and exposed to deteriorating credit conditions. Meanwhile, high street locations mean costs are soaring. Sell. £34.52.

Pets at Home Sharecast

Liberum has added the pets supplies group to its “Conviction Sell” list, declaring it a “value trap with significant pressure across the profit and loss”. The broker names a target price of 145p. Sell. 175p.

The Restaurant Group The Mail on Sunday

Peel Hunt commends the owner of Frankie & Benny’s for “doing a good job”. But the sector remains tough and the broker questions whether the group can achieve the like-for-like sales needed to hold profits. Sell. 346.5p.

WYG Investors Chronicle

Shares in the engineering consultancy have tumbled on news of a second substantial profit warning. The group’s troubles extend overseas and the shortfall in income means debt will move higher. Sell. 56p.