It’s been an interesting week for the markets. The Nifty breached 26,000 for the first time in 2025 this week. After a long hiatus, one saw FIIs net buy over Rs 10,000 crore in a single session, and then in the next two sessions they sold as much. The Dollar Index is now back to 99 levels, and the rupee is struggling close to all-time lows. However, all of this represents the big picture. What matters for the average investor is knowing where to put the money and how to maximise the gains.
Over the last one week, FinancialExpress.com covered a host of brokerage reports. Here is a quick recap of the top 10 ideas. We used the FinancialExpress.com screeners highlighting BSE top gainers and NSE top gainers and sorted the stocks as per market cap to decide on the stocks that made the maximum impact.
The top 10 brokerage reports this week
Motilal Oswal on SBI Life Insurance
The share price of SBI Life Insurance delivered 6% gains in last 1 week. Leading domestic brokerage house Motilal Oswal has Buy on SBI Life Insurance with a target of Rs 2,240 per share. This implies nearly 22% upside potential over the next 12 months. The VNB or value of new business margin expansion, is one of the key catalysts for the Buy rating. You can read the detailed report for further details on the top growth drivers for this insurance play.
Motilal Oswal on Tata Steel
The Tata Steel share price has gained over 4% in the last 1 week. Motilal Oswal has upgraded Tata Steel to ‘Buy’ from ‘Neutral’ with a target price of Rs 210 per share. This implies nearly 19% upside from current levels. They expect one of the largest steel markers in the country to see improvement in realisations after the implementation of the safeguard duty.Operating efficiencies and the strong domestic demand outlook are the other factors supporting the recommendation.
Nuvama on L&T
L&T was amongst the top stars of this week’s earnings action after the management guided for a strong FY26 and remained upbeat about the order pipeline. While many brokerages reiterated their Buy ratings, Nuvama’s target price for L&T is one of the highest at Rs 4,680 per share. This implies nearly 16% upside for the L&T share price from current levels. They expect the sale growth to exceed 15% through FY27-FY28 as more projects hit the margin milestones.
Nuvama on ITC
Another big-bang earnings this week was ITC. But why did Nuvama cut its target price for ITC? Nuvama reduced the target to Rs 534 from Rs 540 per share. However, even this level is significantly above the stock’s 52-week high of Rs 498 per share. Nuvama, however, retained the Buy rating, though numbers came in below street estimates. The miss on revenue was a result of the drag in the Agri business, high base effect and the impact on exports due to tariff uncertainty.
Motilal Oswal on United Spirits
The United Spirits share price zoomed over 4% intra-day in Friday’s trade and is among the top gainers this week. The record margin performance in Q2 led to hectic buying in the counter. However, Motilal Oswal flagged key valuation risks. The brokerage house now has a ‘Neutral’ recommendation with target price of Rs 1,399. Though the report mentioned Q2 as a strong quarter, by all operational standards, revenue, margins, and profitability, they believe the markets have already priced in most of the progress.
Nuvama on Hyundai Motors
The Hyundai Motors share price also saw brisk investor interest in the last few days. Nuvama has a Buy rating on Hyundai Motors India but cut the target price to Rs 2,900 from Rs 3,200 per share. The cut in the target price is as a result of the brokerage house factoring in higher costs relating to the new Talegaon plant.
Jefferies on Bandhan Bank
Another big mover this week is Bandhan Bank. The share price of Bandhan Bank plunged 8% in the last 1 week. Though the bank reported rather soft numbers for Q2, international brokerage house Jefferies has a Buy rating on Bandhan Bank with a target of Rs 200, implying 17% upside. They believe that the return on equity for the bank will recover to 12% by FY27, supported by a healthier loan mix and normalised credit costs.
Motilal Oswal on Federal Bank
The Federal Bank share price was another standout performer amongst the banking sector stocks. Motilal Oswal recommends Buy on Federal Bank and has a 12-month target of Rs 260 per share. This implies about 14% upside from current levels. The brokerage house believes that the bank’s pivot toward margin-accretive growth, strengthening liability profile “is now further strengthened by the proposed around Rs 6,200 crore preferential capital infusion from Blackstone.”
Nomura on Dr Reddy’s
The Dr Reddy’s share price also saw significant action this week. Nomura retained a Buy rating on the stock. Though the international brokerage house cut the target price to Rs 1,580 from Rs 1,650 earlier, they believe that the valuations appear attractive. The stock has underperformed peers over the past five years.
Motilal Oswal on Vodafone Idea
One stock that had an absolutely topsy-turvy week was undeniably Vodafone Idea. The Vodafone Idea share price see-sawed from 10% gains one day to 8% correction over next two days… But Motilal Oswal has upgraded Vodafone Idea to Neutral from Sell. They have raised the target price to Rs 10/share from Rs 6.50 earlier. This still implies significant upside from current levels.