Earnings Release • Feb 9, 2022
Earnings Release
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ABGSC - Q4 2021 Interim Report
Highlights:
· Strong finish to a record-breaking year with Q4 revenues of NOK 803m (NOK
893m)
· 2021 full-year revenues of NOK 2,911m, up 51% from NOK 1,926m last year
· 2021 diluted EPS of NOK 1.39 (+78%)
· Proposed cash dividend of NOK 1.00 per share
· Solid and diversified pipeline heading into 2022
CEO comment:
I am very pleased to report that we have recorded 2021 revenues of NOK 2.9bn
(+51%), the highest full-year revenues in the history of the firm. Q4 2021
provided a fair representation of the year, with revenues amounting to NOK 803m,
only moderately behind the incredible Q4 last year.
With the tough comparative figures of 2020, I believe it has been an impressive
achievement to significantly outperform on results again. We have improved
within all business areas and locations, and during the year we completed more
than 170 corporate and project financing transactions and contributed to raising
some NOK 200bn debt and equity for our clients.
During 2021, Sweden stood out as our strongest growth market, where ABGSC gained
market share compared to peers, especially within the ECM segment. Still, we see
more potential in the Swedish capital market, where we aim to further grow our
DCM and M&A businesses to the same level as ECM. During the year, we
strengthened the organisation significantly to have the capability to continue
to diversify our business mix. The revenue growth in Sweden has also been
strongly supported by our top ranked research teams and experienced sales teams
providing superior analytical insight and brokerage services.
The Norwegian business has continued to build on its leading position and
further improved on the impressive performance in 2020. The revenue base in
Norway has never been so well-diversified as in 2021, with strong contributions
from all products. This signals a well-balanced and resilient business model
that is adjusting to movements across and within business cycles and in the
broader market.
I would also like to highlight the progress of our Danish operations, as it has
delivered its best results ever, also with a broad contribution across products
and with particularly strong growth within ECM.
We expect there to be more to come this year
In recent years, we have doubled our client base, and while executing a record
number of transactions, we have still been able to add to our pipeline, and we
are heading into 2022 with more mandated transactions than at same time last
year. There is a sound balance in the portfolio, but our ability to execute
will, as always, be subject to market conditions.
Proposed distribution to shareholders
The Board has proposed that the annual general meeting, scheduled for April,
approves the distribution of a cash dividend to shareholders of NOK 1.00 per
share. Prevailing regulatory core capital rules imply a need to increase our
core capital as the revenue base expands, thereby currently limiting our ability
to distribute a higher proportion of 2021 net earnings. The potential for
additional capital distribution will be evaluated when new capital regulations
are implemented in Norway, currently expected to be in 2022 or 2023.
Jonas Ström, CEO
For further information:
Jonas Ström, CEO +46 8 566 294 68
Geir B. Olsen, CFO +47 22 01 60 35
Please find attached the Q4 2021 Interim Report. A presentation will be held as
a webcast at 09.00 CET and can be accessed through a weblink or call-in details
presented on our corporate website www.abgsc.com.
This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU
Market Abuse Regulation article 7 and is subject to the disclosure requirements
pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. This stock
exchange announcement was submitted for publication, through the agency of the
contact persons set out above, at 08:00 CET on 9 February 2022
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