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Barclays upgrades Universal Music on cost-cutting, AI upside

By Reuters News07:01 (UTC), 2 October 2026 Updated

** Barclays upgrades music label Universal Music Group UMG.AS to "overweight" from "equal-weight"

** Cites earnings upside from cost cuts and AI-related opportunities

** Notes the company has the lowest margins among peers; says matching the current efficiency efforts of rivals would translate into about €630 million ($709.25 million) of lower costs

** It expects revenue upside from digital service providers, says new AI subscription tier by Spotify could be a major catalyst

** Broker also sees additional revenue opportunities from licensing content to AI startups

** Barclays cuts its PT by 11% to €20 but says UMG's complexity and earnings volatility are now fully understood by the market

** Out of 24 analysts that cover the company, 14 rate the stock "strong buy" or "buy," 6 rate it "hold" and4 rate the stock "strong sell" or "sell" - LSEG data

($1 = 0.8883 euros)

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