City analysts are pointing to two FTSE 100 names as standout opportunities, with potential upside of at least 30% over the next 12 months.
JD Sports Fashion and London Stock Exchange Group have both been identified as stocks with significant gaps between their current and target share prices.
According to analysts, JD Sports could rise 30% while LSEG could climb as much as 37% by August 2027, making both names worth examining closely.
The analysis comes as two of the FTSE 100’s most celebrated stocks, Rolls-Royce and Lloyds, have delivered share price gains of 663% and 163% respectively over the past three years.
Despite those impressive runs, City analysts now forecast just a 15% potential rise from current share prices for those two names over the next 12 months.
JD Sports, however, has been a persistent disappointment for investors, and the pain deepened on 20 August when shares dropped 15% following yet another profit warning.
These guidance downgrades have become a recurring pattern for the retailer, and brokers are expected to cut their price targets in the days following the latest announcement.
JD is struggling against a highly promotional retail backdrop, as cash-strapped consumers seek out bargains that the company’s premium-priced stores are not designed to offer.
The group is still guiding for free cash flow of £460m to £520m this financial year, and there is an ongoing £200m share buyback programme alongside a modest 1.5% dividend yield.
The stock’s valuation looks cheap, but cheapness alone is not an investment thesis, and with a market capitalisation of just £3.8bn, a drop to the FTSE 250 remains a genuine possibility.
Without meaningful catalysts on the horizon, JD Sports remains a difficult proposition for investors looking for near-term momentum or a clear recovery story.
LSEG presents a far more compelling picture, with the financial data and analytics firm reporting total income excluding recoveries rising 8.4% in the first half of 2026.
Management has tightened its full-year guidance to 7% to 7.5% income growth, up from an original range of 6.5% to 7.5%, signalling growing confidence in the business trajectory.
LSEG also hiked its interim dividend by 17% and expects full-year free cash flow to reach at least £2.7bn, reflecting the strength of its recurring, subscription-style revenue model.
Some investors remain cautious about the impact of artificial intelligence on data providers, raising questions about whether firms like LSEG could face disruption from fast-moving technology.
LSEG itself views AI as an opportunity rather than a threat, and has already secured licensing agreements with Anthropic and OpenAI to supply them with real-time financial data.
Despite this strong positioning, the stock trades at just 16 times forward earnings, a multiple that appears low given the quality and predictability of the business.
The company is also buying back a record amount of its own shares, adding further support to the investment case at what appears to be an attractive valuation.
Weighing up both opportunities, LSEG looks like the stronger candidate for investors willing to look beyond the headline names dominating the FTSE 100 conversation.