Norske Skog (Buy, TP: NOK32.00) - Unfounded concerns

Since the Q3 report that showed that Norske Skog is in good shape in difficult markets, the share price is down c40% on apparent concerns that Norske Skog will become financially distressed. However, after scrutinising the balance sheet and the debt payment structure, we believe the situation is under control. With our earnings forecasts largely intact, we have upgraded to BUY (HOLD) and reiterate our NOK32 target price following the recent share price weakness, in our view based on unfounded concerns and misunderstanding.

September: Pulp shipments -10% y-o-y

Stora acquires a Finnish sawmill company

Edda Wind (Buy, TP: NOK30.00) - Well positioned

While EBITDA was broadly in line with expectations, the Q3 report gave early signs of improved operational reliability, which we believe will be key to narrowing the discount to underlying values (the stock is trading at 0.6x P/NAV). Recent contract awards (including a new 12+12-month contract announced with the results) have made the fleet fully booked until the 2025 summer season, and three of the four 2025 newbuild deliveries are now booked directly following yard delivery. We reiterate our BUY and NOK30 target price.

Valuation and market update

In this note, we show updated valuation and market statistics for the Offshore Drilling sector.

Petrobras FPSO delays may hit service volumes but lengthen cycle

Being the largest global consumer of deepwater oil services, Petrobras’ strategic plans tend to get investor attention. On the positive side, its latest 5-year plan sees 5% higher E&P spending than the previous one, and has a more stable phasing between the years, which is supportive for the cycle duration. However, several FPSOs are facing significant delays, which is on the downside for oil services, leading to delays for deepwater oilfield services (primarily drilling and subsea), likely resulting in lower ‘peak volumes’ and demand being spread over a longer period. The rig count is said to...