Combustion shift helps electrify Volvo IPO 8 Jul 2021 The Swedish carmaker is steering its petrol engine unit into a joint venture with parent Geely before a stock market listing. Focusing on future electric car sales helps drive Chairman Li Shufu closer to a racy valuation. Still, ongoing gas guzzler sales dent green bona fides.
Oatly IPO pumps fresh air into plant-based stocks 20 May 2021 The Swedish group that makes dairy substitutes out of oats surged 30% on its debut, valuing it at $13 bln. Despite heavy losses and growing competition, investors clearly believe the shift in consumption habits is more than a fad. It bodes well for other stock market hopefuls.
EQT spins Micro Focus misfortune into gold 26 Apr 2021 The Swedish buyout firm may float software group SUSE for up to $10 bln, having paid its struggling UK owner $2.5 bln in 2018. It’s a classic corporate carveout on steroids. One lesson is that CEOs should put more effort into retaining possible upside when selling their castoffs.
Oatly’s IPO health depends heavily on China 20 Apr 2021 A partnership with Starbucks in the People’s Republic boosted the Swedish oat milk maker’s sales and profile. Major investor China Resources should help with future growth. But the state-backed group’s involvement is also a risk for buyers of its mooted $10 bln U.S. listing.
H&M kicks off Europe’s unfashionable China dilemma 25 Mar 2021 The $35 bln Swedish retailer is under sudden attack over an old statement saying it doesn’t source materials from controversial Xinjiang. Many EU companies want both greater access to the giant market and ESG credibility. Beijing will make it choose which is the bigger priority.
Klarna listing would be a mixed blessing 25 Feb 2021 The Swedish fintech’s next funding round could value it at $30 bln, and it’s mulling a direct listing. Allowing early investors to cash out carries obvious appeal. The downside is there would be a daily commentary on Klarna’s regulatory risks and shortcomings relative to rivals.
Oatly value ingests Beyond Meat’s bloat 24 Feb 2021 The Oprah-backed oat milk maker can hit a $9 bln valuation in an IPO based on its faux meat rival’s multiple. That’s an almost fivefold increase from last year. Big partnerships help justify growth. But using one inflated stock to validate another is too much of a good thing.
EQT leaves hot markets behind with $15 bln pet LBO 10 Feb 2021 Instead of floating vet group IVC Evidensia, the buyout shop is selling it to its new fund, and Silver Lake. Stock valuations may be choppier when it finally lists, but the company’s rapid growth should help. Even in an IPO rush, private equity is hanging on to the best assets.
Spotify has bigger issues than slower growth 3 Feb 2021 Shares in the $60 bln Swedish music-streaming group fell after it warned a pandemic-inspired boost to subscribers and revenue may not last. More worrying for CEO Daniel Ek is that costs are still growing roughly as fast as sales. That’s out of tune with a puffed-up equity value.
Ericsson’s China gains heighten blowback risks 29 Jan 2021 The $41 bln Swedish telecoms kit maker’s prospects are soaring due to Western bans on Chinese rival Huawei. But the Middle Kingdom is also its hottest 5G equipment market. The risk of reprisals should its own government ban Huawei are increasing.
EQT puts runaway share price to good use 26 Jan 2021 The $28 bln Swedish private equity firm linked to the Wallenbergs is issuing $800 mln of equity to the founders of Exeter, an American property investor. The deal expands its U.S. presence and helps diversify away from lumpy buyouts. While risky and expensive, it may just work.
EQT’s $2.8 bln pharma bet relies on sales booster 14 Dec 2020 The Swedish buyout firm is buying manufacturer Recipharm, which handles outsourced production for drug giants like Moderna. Given the target’s already heavy borrowings, delivering a decent return for EQT’s investors will depend on ramping up revenue growth.
Buy-now-pay-later exposes regulation blind spot 8 Dec 2020 Sweden’s Klarna and Australia’s Afterpay both allow punters to buy goods and defer payment. Opinion is divided over how regulators should treat any loss on the enabling financing. Balancing innovation and stability is hard, but the rules right now aren’t clear enough.
Norway’s offices are prize in $3.4 bln bidding war 26 Nov 2020 Sweden’s Castellum launched an offer for Entra days after the Oslo-based group rebuffed a bid from real estate rival SBB. Reliable government tenants and a relatively stable economy are alluring in a sector ravaged by the pandemic. But the bidders will struggle to create value.
KPN adds Dutch fibre to Europe telco buyout buffet 12 Oct 2020 Private equity firm EQT is sizing up the Dutch phone operator, according to Bloomberg. Worth 16 bln euros including debt, it’s a major meal even before the government weighs in. Smaller operators in Europe’s bombed-out telecoms sector may make simpler and tastier treats.
Economics Nobel lauds auction half-truths 12 Oct 2020 Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson won the prize for advancing bidding theory. Their fans see rigour and the backbone of Google’s pricing. But sceptics wonder if their formal models are any more effective than rules of thumb in radio spectrum sales or bring long-term social gains.
Nordic industrial M&A gets all passive-aggressive 29 Sep 2020 Finnish paper group Valmet has proposed a share-based merger with valve maker Neles but not yet informed its target of any terms. That’s a bit cheeky given the latter already has a decent $2 bln cash bid from Swedish engineer Alfa Laval. Valmet needs to show its hand or go away.
Klarna’s new $11 bln valuation looks a stretch 15 Sep 2020 The Swedish buy-now-pay-later startup’s new funding round means it has doubled its worth in a year. That looks reasonable relative to rival Afterpay’s market valuation. It looks less so once you use multiples that better reflect competition and regulatory risks.
Sweden’s $2 bln oat milk startup has watery moat 16 Jul 2020 Oatly, which makes the dairy substitute loved by hipsters and baristas, raised capital from Blackstone and celebrities including Oprah Winfrey. Sales reached $200 mln in 2019 and are expected to double again this year. But its lead could sour as bigger groups like Danone wade in.
Europe’s private-equity share premium is temporary 16 Jul 2020 Sweden’s EQT and Swiss Partners Group fetch price-earnings multiples way above KKR, Blackstone, Carlyle and Apollo. That’s justified by faster growth and a higher proportion of management fees, which are more predictable than carry. As the newer funds mature, that will erode.