JANUARY – DECEMBER 2021
- Cash and cash equivalents amounted to SEK 3 441.4M (19.8) on 31 December 2021.
- Operating profit was SEK -7.3M (-1.6).
- Profit after tax was SEK -7.3M (-1.6).
- Earnings per share was SEK -0.27 (-7.86).
INTERIM PERIOD OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2021
- Operating profit was SEK -2.6M (-1.6).
- Profit after tax was SEK -2.6M (-1.6).
- Earnings per share was SEK -0.07 (-7.86).
CEO COMMENT
ACQ Bure AB listed on the Nasdaq OMX Stockholm on March 25, 2021. It was Sweden’s very first acquisition company as defined by the Nasdaq’s new regulations. Interest in ACQ’s listing was considerable and together with its sponsor Bure Equity and cornerstone investors AMF, AP4 and SEB Fonder, ACQ acquired a total of approximately 35,000 shareholders.
In conjunction with its listing, ACQ was capitalised with SEK 3.5 billion. The goal is to acquire a high-quality Nordic company within three years. ACQ’s listing was thus the start of efforts to identify and evaluate investment opportunities to find the “right” target company. During the year, we evaluated multiple contexts and companies and presented ACQ’s operations to various advisors, business owners and contractors. To date, no acquisition has been announced.
From ACQ’s listing in March to the end of the year, the stock market performed strongly, with the SIX RX increasing 22.2 per cent. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the industrial economy remained robust throughout the year, which buoyed investor sentiment. Overall, 2021 was a record year in terms of the number of IPOs and M&A transactions.
The beginning of 2022 has been less certain to date, with the SIX RX losing about 10 per cent of its value. Higher inflation and expected interest rate hikes have resulted in severe revaluations of many growth companies, with valuations in several cases falling by more than 30 to 40 per cent. My hope is that this market situation can create interesting opportunities for ACQ going forward.
Henrik Blomquist
CEO ACQ Bure AB