2229 GMT - Morgan Stanley expects Premier Investments to miss guidance for annual Ebit, given interest rates are rising again in Australia. Analyst Julia M. de Sterke forecasts Ebit of A$180 million in FY 2026. That compares to Premier's own projection of A$183 million. MS expects fuel and freight disruptions to put little dent in Premier's 2H performance. That's because the products it expects to sell in 2H have either been produced already or are in transit. Still, higher domestic freight costs could squeeze profit margins a tad. "On rates, we see risk that Peter Alexander sales momentum decelerates, despite the positive trading update," MS says. It expects Peter Alexander sales to rise by 4.5% in 2H, slowing slightly from 4.9% growth in 1H. MS has an overweight call on Premier. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 22, 2026 18:29 ET (22:29 GMT)

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