Publicis Shares Lead CAC 40 Following Acquisition
Publicis Groupe's stock increased by 2.23% to €78.82 on Monday, May 18, 2026, at midday, while the CAC 40 dropped by 0.64%. The stock topped the Paris index in a market weighed down by luxury sectors and Brent crude above $110. Citi has raised its price target on the advertising group.
Citi Raises Target to €90 Following $2.167 Billion LiveRamp Acquisition
Citi has increased its price target on Publicis Groupe from €88 to €90, maintaining a 'buy' recommendation. With the current price at €78.82, the new target offers a potential of about 14%. This revision follows the acquisition of LiveRamp, valued at $2.167 billion. The group stated that the transaction will be accretive to earnings per share from the first year and leads to an uplift in growth outlooks for 2027 and 2028.
According to analyst opinions reviewed, the stock trades at about 10 times current year earnings and 9.3 times the following year's, compared to 14.3 times for the Consumer Discretionary sector average. The expected EPS growth from one year to the next is 7.3%. According to statements reviewed, net short positions total 2.33% of the capital, down 0.21 points over 30 days.
Stock Reaches its 20-Day Moving Average and Leads the CAC 40
Publicis takes the lead in the CAC 40 session, alongside STMicroelectronics (+1.97%) and TotalEnergies (+1.69%). Conversely, Saint-Gobain is down 2.36%, Kering 2.30%, Hermès International 2.16%, and LVMH 1.87%. The Paris index is down 0.64% at 7,901.3 points, weighed down by Brent crude above $110 per barrel and rising bond yields.
The stock is close to its 20-day moving average (€79.02), with only a 0.25% difference. It is 4.20% above the 50-day average (€75.64) but remains 2.52% below the 200-day average (€80.86). The RSI at 47 remains neutral. Over three months, the stock has gained 11.52%, but is down 17.08% over one year. The next technical resistance is identified at €81.72, which corresponds to the upper Bollinger band limit (€81.98).
