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Investing.com -- Sofina (EBR:SOF) shares were down over 2% on Friday after the Brussels-based investment company reported a €494 million drop in net asset value in the first half of 2025, alongside a swing to a loss.
Net asset value fell to €9.8 billion at the end of June from €10.3 billion in December. Net asset value per share declined to €296.38 from €311.77.
The company reported a net loss of €394 million, a decrease from the €551 million profit it posted the previous year. Earnings per share decreased to a loss of €11.90, down from a gain of €16.59.
Sofina said depreciation of major currencies, particularly the U.S. dollar, weighed on results. Excluding currency effects, value creation across the portfolio was positive at 4.2%, but including them it turned negative at 3.4%.
“Positive value creation was affected by currency impact,” the company said in its half-year report.
The investment portfolio was valued at €9.95 billion at the end of June, down from €10.05 billion six months earlier. Sofina Direct accounted for €5.5 billion, Sofina Private Funds €4.5 billion and long-term minority investments €3.1 billion.
ByteDance was the only single holding representing more than 5% of fair value. Other major assets included Cognita, Drylock Technologies, Nuxe International, Proeduca and Vinted. The 10 largest direct stakes represented 29% of the portfolio.
On the funds side, Sequoia Capital, Hongshan, Lightspeed, Insight Partners and Andreessen Horowitz were among the top managers. Sofina said more than 80 general partners were represented in its fund holdings.
Investment activity remained active, with new positions in Proeduca and Scalable Capital.
Divestments included the sale of First Eagle, a partial disposal of bioMérieux and some monetization of the ByteDance stake.
In the first half, Sofina invested €650 million in its portfolio and generated €384 million from divestments.
The balance sheet showed net debt of €76 million at the end of June, compared with net cash of €334 million at the end of December.
Gross cash declined to €621 million from €1.03 billion, while financial liabilities remained unchanged at €697 million. The loan-to-value ratio stood at 0.8%, compared with -3.3% six months earlier.
Dividend income fell to €18 million from €25 million a year earlier. The investment portfolio’s net result was a loss of €379 million, a significant change from the €564 million gain recorded in the first half of 2024.
Total comprehensive income mirrored the group’s net result at -€394 million, against €551 million in the prior year.
Geographically, the portfolio was split between Europe at 39%, North America at 36% and Asia at 25%.
By strategy, venture capital represented 71% of assets, growth capital 24% and leveraged buyouts 5%. Unlisted assets made up 93% of the total, with listed holdings accounting for 7%.
Sofina said it remained active across geographies and sectors, citing “progress in growing scale-ups and momentum in early-stage companies” despite currency headwinds.