The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, Oct. 4, edition that Scotia Capital's Phil Hardie has upgraded his recommendation for Propel Holdings to "sector outperform" from "sector perform." The Globe's David Leeder writes that Mr. Hardie hiked his share target by $6 to $34. Analysts on average target the shares at $32.80. Mr. Hardie expressed his approval of the deal in which the Toronto-based financial technology company will acquire QuidMarket, a leading U.K. digital direct lending platform that focuses on the short-term subprime consumer loan market. He highlighted the enhanced growth potential, attractive profitability of the platform and the expected diversification benefits with Propel now operating across three countries. Mr. Hardie says in a note: "The move marks a significant step in the company's global expansion strategy and provides investors with a strong signal of how ambitious its growth plan is, in our view. We think the deal makes sense and is financially attractive. ... We view Propel as a small but profitable high-growth fintech player set to accelerate its expansion in the global non-prime consumer space." The Globe reported on April 17 that Eight Capital rated Propel "buy." It was then worth $21.95.