Broker tips: Banks, Intertek, Direct Line

UBS has lifted its rating for the global banking sector from 'underweight' to 'overweight', saying that the operating environment is beginning to improve."Post our global financials conference, our global equity strategy team has upgraded global financials [...] on the basis that the global economy is healing, capital has been rebuilt and the sector has moved from being a net issuer to net distributor of cash."Jefferies has maintained its 'underperform' rating and 2,900p target price for product testing group Intertek after the company disappointed with weak guidance for margins this year.Jefferies expects full-year consensus estimates to move down by "mid-single digits". The broker currently expects Intertek to report a profit before tax of £356m for 2013 and earnings per share of 150.7p.Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA) has raised its rating for Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG) from 'neutral' to 'buy', saying it is now its most preferred stock in the property and casualty (P&C) insurance sub-sector.DLG has the greatest yield amongst its peers at 7.8% - "which would rank it the highest in the FTSE 100" - and has the greatest potential to increase it further, BofA said.BC