Norway: Best ideas Q2'25

Strong collection set to continue

Solid secured and unsecured collection

Over-collection in both unsecured (109%) and secured (~200%); Cash EBITDA of NOK 975m, +2% vs ABG and +1% vs cons; Stock flat to just up; Cons est rev. minor (ERC neg vs collection pos)

Weak Q1, but strong momentum towards 2026

Veidekke (Hold, TP: NOK150.00) - Q1 was a supportive non-event

Q1 EBIT was NOK-43m, slightly below our forecast, with low seasonal profits due to winter effects in the asphalt operations. This is a seasonally insignificant quarter for the company due to the winter season, and, for context, we expect 2025 EBIT of NOK1.7bn. Order intake and backlog were the Q1 strong points. With the results and commentary supportive of our earnings forecasts, we have made minor estimate changes on the group level and reiterate our HOLD, but have cut our target price to NOK15...

Veidekke ASA: 1 director

A director at Veidekke ASA bought 2,200 shares at 147.000NOK and the significance rating of the trade was 68/100. Is that information sufficient for you to make an investment decision? This report gives details of those trades and adds context and analysis to them such that you can judge whether these trading decisions are ones worth following. Included in the report is a detailed share price chart which plots discretionary trades by all the company's directors over the last two years clearly ...

PTP below expectations offset by strong order intake

Sustainable high dividends and investments

Norsk Hydro (Sell, TP: NOK55.00) - Q1 shipments delayed to Q2

Norsk Hydro’s Q1 results fell somewhat short of market expectations (EBITDA 4% below consensus) and it cut its Extrusions guidance. A large share of the miss appears to reflect late shipments in the bauxite and alumina (B&A) segment following heavy rainfall, which should mean higher volumes in Q2. We have made only minor changes (-1–0%) to our 2026–2027e EPS. We continue to see downside risk to aluminium prices, and reiterate our SELL and NOK55 target price.

Muted estimate changes

Weak deliveries and higher cost

Heads-up for Q1 report 29 April

Muted 2025 growth expectations

Following Q1 earnings calls by some of the oil service companies, 2025 outlooks appear more challenging than previously. Baker Hughes expects international upstream spending to decline by mid- to high-single digits, while Halliburton sees its international revenues flat to slightly down. Furthermore, Weatherford expects 2025 international revenue to decline by low double- to mid-double digits. Precision Drilling flagged additional rig suspensions by Saudi Aramco, and SLB highlighted a slow start...

ENI capex cut but maintains shareholder returns

Driven by macro headwinds and uncertainty around trade tariffs, ENI was the first large oil company to introduce capex cuts for 2025, contributing to a more challenging business environment for oil services. Over the past five years, we estimate ENI to have been the oil major with strongest offshore spending growth, and it has been considered active and opportunistic while others have been more conservative. Hence, we see its reduction as a soft datapoint for oil services. ENI has optimised its ...

Entering 2025 with a strong portfolio

Mixed upside potential, despite market recovery expectations

Pent-up demand and falling interest rates remain the backbone for newbuild recovery expectations. However, as the recovery has not yet started, property developers screen as the most attractive long-term, but visibility remains mixed. Diversified construction companies are more attractive on near-term P/Es, although many seem to be fully valued on solid share-price performance over the past six months. We maintain a neutral sector view; NCC and Skanska are our top picks.

Trade war will hurt demand

E&P spending sensitivity explored

With an oil price at the mid-USD60s/bbl level, focus on the oil major overspending situation, and resulting impact on the outlook for offshore-focused oil services, is set to increase further. While oil companies would likely cut, or even eliminate, buyback programmes first, we expect increased focus on spending reductions and efficiencies, creating a more challenging business environment for oil services. Hence, we see a risk of oil companies taking a more cautious approach, resulting in projec...

Veidekke (Hold, TP: NOK160.00) - Seasonal low despite mild winter

Q1 is typically the low season for Veidekke on Nordic winter effects and a seasonal EBIT margin decline in the Infrastructure division (including asphalt). Despite the mild winter in the Nordics in Q1, we expect the positive impact to be limited as weather effects tend to affect Q4 more than Q1. We expect zero EPS for Q1. We reiterate our HOLD and NOK160 target price.

Norsk Hydro (Sell, TP: NOK55.00) - Aluminium defying fundamentals

We reiterate our SELL and NOK55 target price, as we believe consensus EPS and aluminium price expectations are too high. We have seen aluminium prices outperform coal prices by 40% since the summer, defying the fundamental relationship where aluminium prices have been set by its cost of production for the past 15 years. We do not believe a balanced global supply/demand situation is likely to break this correlation. We have reduced our 2026–2027e EPS by 3% due to a stronger NOK versus USD. We est...