Panostaja Oyj’s Business Review Q3 November 1, 2021-July 31, 2022

Panostaja Oyj

Panostaja Oyj’s Business Review Q3 November 1, 2021-July 31, 2022

Panostaja Oyj          Interim Report Q3         September 1, 2022 10.00 a.m.

Growth in a partially challenging market environment

May 2022-July 2022 (3 months) in brief:

• Net sales increased in three of the four segments. Net sales for the Group as a whole increased by 5.2% to MEUR 32.4 (MEUR 30.7).

• EBIT improved in one of the four segments. The entire Group’s EBIT declined from the reference period, standing at MEUR -1.2 (MEUR 0.6).

• Grano’s net sales for the review period increased by 6.9% from the reference period. EBIT totaled MEUR 0.3 (MEUR 1.1). Net sales for the review period increased by 13.4% from the reference period net sales that were adjusted based on the SokoPro sale.

• Earnings per share (undiluted) were -2.3 cents (0.5 cents).

• During the review period, Panostaja distributed an extra dividend of EUR 0.05 per share, a total of approx. MEUR 2.6, to its shareholders.
  
  

November 2021-July 2022 (9 months) in brief:

• Net sales increased in three of the four segments. Net sales for the Group as a whole increased by 3.6% to MEUR 101.1 (MEUR 97.6).

• The entire Group’s EBIT improved from the reference period, standing at MEUR 5.8 (MEUR -1.0).

• Panostaja’s segment Grano sold its SokoPro business operations to the international iBinder company. The deal was carried out as a share transaction, and the purchase price of the shares was roughly MEUR 45.5.

• Grano’s net sales for the review period increased by 3.1% from the reference period. EBIT was MEUR 9.2 (MEUR 1.8), including the SokoPro sales profit of MEUR 9.4. Net sales for the review period increased by 7.0% from the reference period net sales that were adjusted based on the SokoPro sale.

• Earnings per share (undiluted) were 3.7 cents (-6.9 cents).
  
  

CEO Tapio Tommila: 

“For us, the third quarter of the year was characterized by strong growth, especially in terms of the recovery of the demand for Grano’s marketing and content services. Other Panostaja segments also saw growth, even though all successes are not yet evident in the reports for this quarter. CoreHW gained a significant design contract for the development of radar technology for the automotive industry, which was secured thanks in large part to the technology the company had developed through its own efforts. Oscar Software has begun to gain profits from more new deals through focused sales efforts. For Hygga’s software business, we gained a significant win in Sweden as the pilot project in Örebro County, which had yielded good results, led to a contract regarding the expansion of the Hygga Flow solution to cover four new clinics.

That said, we cannot be satisfied with the profitability in the third quarter. Protecting Grano’s sales margin amid soaring market prices has been a top priority, but the measures taken are yet to sufficiently compensate for the profit impact of the increased costs. Hygga has suffered considerably from challenges related to the availability of clinical staff, and the company’s recruitment efforts have failed in the difficult market situation, resulting in the poor profitability of the clinic’s outsourcing business. In terms of profit/loss, the Group’s performance for the past quarter is encumbered by CoreHW’s weak result, arising from characteristically low net sales for the vacation season and a large new customer project, which did not provide any yields during the third quarter despite the significant amount of work. Alongside themes related to growth, improving profitability will remain one of our strong focus areas.

In June, Panostaja’s Board of Directors decided to pay an extra dividend to the shareholders due to the successful realization of a value increase early in the year though Grano’s SokoPro deal. The dividend decision reflects our confidence in our solid positioning in terms of materializing our updated strategy – in addition to creating value through our current segments, we aim for multiple new investments in growth in the service and software sectors during the 2022–2024 strategy period. Our investment capacity is good, and our new advisor network and operating model built around a sector-specific focus has begun to generate additional activity and quality for our project stream.

The uncertainties related to the development of the macro economy will impact our operating environment in the foreseeable future. Inflation pressures related to increased energy costs will persist and impact consumers’ purchasing power and the willingness of companies to make new investments. This is why risks related to the deterioration of financial development are unusually high. However, we expect the corporate acquisition market to remain active and find that good investment targets are still available in our target sectors.”

Financial Development November 1, 2021-July 31, 2022

Key Figures MEUR	Q3	Q3	9 MONTHS	9 MONTHS	12 months
	5/22- 7/22	5/21- 7/21	11/21- 7/22	11/20- 7/21	11/20- 10/21
Net sales, MEUR	32.4	30.7	101.1	97.6	133.0
EBIT, MEUR	-1.2	0.6	5.8	-1.0	2.0
Profit before taxes, MEUR	-1.6	0.1	4.4	-2.7	0.0
Profit/loss for the financial period, MEUR	-1.6	0.4	4.9	-4.5	-1.0
Distribution:
Shareholders of the parent company	-1.2	0.3	1.9	-3.6	-1.7
Minority shareholders	-0.4	0.1	3.0	-0.9	0.7
Earnings per share, undiluted, EUR	-0.02	0.01	0.04	-0.07	-0.03
Interest-bearing net liabilities	37.5	60.3	37.5	60.3	56.3
Gearing ratio, %	63.7	93.7	63.7	93.7	83.1
Equity ratio, %	41.9	36.9	41.9	36.9	37.2
Equity per share, EUR	0.72	0.72	0.72	0.72	0.75

Division of the net sales by segment MEUR	Q3	Q3	9 MONTHS	9 MONTHS	12 months
Net sales	5/22- 7/22	5/21- 7/21	11/21- 7/22	11/20- 7/21	11/20- 10/21
Grano	26.8	25.1	81.7	79.3	107.9
Hygga	1.7	2.0	5.7	6.0	8.1
CoreHW	1.3	1.2	5.4	4.3	6.1
Oscar Software	2.6	2.5	8.4	8.1	11.0
Others	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Eliminations	0.0	0.0	-0.1	-0.1	-0.1
Group in total	32.4	30.7	101.1	97.6	133.0

Division of EBIT by segment MEUR	Q3	Q3	9 MONTHS	9 MONTHS	12 months
EBIT	5/22- 7/22	5/21- 7/21	11/21- 7/22	11/20- 7/21	11/20- 10/21
Grano	0.3	1.1	9.2	1.8	5.6
Hygga	-0.2	0.0	-0.5	-0.4	-0.2
CoreHW	-0.8	-0.3	-1.0	-1.2	-1.4
Oscar Software	-0.1	-0.1	-0.4	0.3	0.3
Others	-0.5	-0.1	-1.6	-1.4	-2.2
Group in total	-1.2	0.6	5.8	-1.0	2.0

Panostaja Group’s business operations for the current review period are reported in five segments: Grano, Hygga, CoreHW, Oscar Software and Others (parent company and associated companies).

One associated company, Gugguu Group Oy, provided a report for the review period. The impact on profit/loss of the reported associated companies in the review period was MEUR 0.0 (MEUR 0.1), which is presented in a separate row in the consolidated income statement.

Gugguu’s deviating financial period ended during the review period in March. In this review period, Gugguu’s net sales increased by 2% to MEUR 4.8 (MEUR 4.6) and EBIT was MEUR 0.1 (MEUR 0.4).

Outlook for the 2022 Financial Period

As regards the corporate acquisition market, plenty of opportunities are available and the market is active. The need to leverage ownership arrangements and growth opportunities will persist for SMEs, but the high market liquidity and increased price expectations of sellers are making the operating environment more challenging for corporate acquisitions. We will continue exploring new possible investment targets in accordance with our strategy and assess divestment possibilities as part of the ownership strategies of the investment targets.

It is thought that the demand situation for different investments will develop in the short term as follows:

•        Oscar Software’s demand will remain good.

•        The demand for Grano, Hygga and CoreHW will remain satisfactory.

The demand situation presented above involves uncertainties relating to any geopolitical and macroeconomic impacts that are difficult to anticipate. The effects of the war in Ukraine and the related economic sanctions and geopolitical tensions will increase economic uncertainty in Finland and abroad, which may negatively impact segment demand or the availability of materials, and thereby material prices and delivery capabilities. If strengthened and prolonged, the inflation may have a negative impact on the purchasing power of consumers and the willingness of companies to make investments, which may weaken the demand situation of our segments from the estimate provided above. Furthermore, the possible resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic may impact the future development of Grano and Hygga, in particular, and rapidly and dramatically change the estimate provided above.

Panostaja Oyj

Board of Directors

For further information, contact CEO Tapio Tommila, +358 (0)40 527 6311

Panostaja Oyj
Tapio Tommila
CEO

Panostaja is an investment company developing Finnish companies in the growing service and software sectors as an active shareholder. The company aims to be the most sought-after partner for business owners selling their companies as well as for the best managers and investors. Together with its partners, Panostaja increases the Group's shareholder value and creates Finnish success stories.

Panostaja has a majority holding in four investment targets. Grano Oy is the most versatile expert of content services in Finland. Hygga Oy is a company providing health care services and the ERP system for health care providers. CoreHW provides high added value RF IC design services. Oscar Software provides ERP systems and financial management services.

Attachment

• Panostaja Oyj Business Review 1.9.2022 Q3_Appendix