Kruk: forging forward (stays BUY)
We have increased our annual investment scale to PLN 2.5bn, in the long term, up from PLN 2.3bn, leading to our 2024-25E net profit increases of c.8%. Higher investments for longer result in value creation in the medium term, as revenues build up slowly, but more sustainably in a debt-collecting business. We continue to see Kruk as a high-quality long-term growth story, and we see most of the upside coming from that angle. However, at the current valuation juncture, we also see Kruk as cheap, trading at our 2024-25E P/Es of 7.6-7.1x, visibly below its 5Y average 12M FWD consensus P/E of 9.2x currently. We see this as an attractive entry point, supported additionally by the market’s reaction to the 2Q24 results, affected by some operational, yet short-lived, headwinds in the Spanish operations. Should the temporary nature of these headwinds, as management has guided, prove to be true, the company could deliver a solid 3Q24E trading update (due in the first half of October) and 3Q24E results, due on 29 October, which could, again, draw attention to the stock. We have increased our 12M price target (PT) for Kruk to PLN 585/share, from PLN 520.7, offering 39% upside potential, and we remain BUYers.Kruk SA. Kruk SA is a Poland-based company, which is engaged in the business support industry. The Company is a multi-operator, which offers loss prevention and debt collection services. The Company divides its business into two main operating segments: Debt Purchase, including acquisition of non-performing debt portfolios, and Debt Collection Outsourcing, offering fee-based collection of debt on client's behalf, focused on consumer and corporate loans. The Company provides services to financial institutions and large corporate customers. It manages receivables of banks, credit intermediaries, leasing companies and digital platform providers, among others. The Company's operating activities concentrate in a number of countries, such as Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Spain. The Company's subsidiaries include Kruk Deutschland GmbH, Presco Investments Sarl and Espand Soluciones de Gestion y Recuperacion de Deuda SL, among others.
WOOD & Company is the leading investment bank in Emerging Europe. Founded in 1991 and head-quartered in Prague, our footprint spans the region and touches investors around the globe.
A pioneer in Emerging Europe, WOOD executed many of the first CEE equity trades and landmark investment banking transactions. Our electronic trading platform was the first in the region, and remains the best. We are continually expanding our relevance and reach in these ever-evolving markets.
Our equity market share reflects our stature: 7% in Warsaw, 20% in Bucharest, 16% in Hungary, 40% in Prague and 5% in Vienna. Our distribution is unparalleled, with the largest salesforce in the region, servicing a uniquely diverse investor base.
We couple local expertise with a truly international perspective. With offices on the ground in the region, and in key financial hubs such as London and Milano, we are never far from our clients and we remain at the forefront of what’s afoot in the CEE emerging and frontier landscape.
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