Earnings call transcript: Aker ASA’s Q2 2025 sees strong asset growth

Aker ASA, with a market capitalization of $4.82 billion, reported a robust financial performance in its Q2 2025 earnings call, showcasing a rise in net asset value and a solid shareholder return. According to InvestingPro analysis, the stock appears slightly overvalued at current levels, though it maintains an impressive YTD return of 25.39%. The company distributed significant dividends and maintained a low debt profile, while also advancing its digital and AI initiatives.

Key Takeaways

• Net asset value increased to 66.5 billion NOK.
• Total shareholder return of 10% for the quarter.
• Strategic investments in digital infrastructure and AI.
• Restructured portfolio to focus on listed and unlisted equity investments.

Company Performance

Aker ASA displayed a strong performance in Q2 2025, with its net asset value reaching 66.5 billion NOK. The company achieved a total shareholder return of 10% for the quarter, supported by an attractive dividend yield of 9.42% and strong revenue growth of 91.98% over the last twelve months. InvestingPro data reveals an excellent Financial Health Score of 3.03, categorized as "GREAT," reflecting its robust financial position and strategic investment efforts. For deeper insights into Aker’s financial health metrics and growth potential, investors can access the comprehensive Pro Research Report, available exclusively to InvestingPro subscribers. Aker’s focus on digital infrastructure and AI opportunities, including enhancements to its Cognite Data Fusion platform, positions it well in the industrial software market. The company’s diversified portfolio and active ownership strategy continue to drive value creation.

Financial Highlights

• Net asset value: 66.5 billion NOK
• Total shareholder return: 10% for the quarter
• Dividends distributed: Over 19 billion SEK in H1 2025
• Profit before tax: 1.4 billion SEK
• Net interest-bearing debt: 2 billion SEK
• Loan-to-value ratio: 11%

Outlook & Guidance

Aker ASA plans to continue its investments in the real estate sector, focusing on properties with long-term leases and stable cash flows. The company is also exploring opportunities in AI factories and digital infrastructure, maintaining a flexible portfolio management approach. Guidance for FY2025 and FY2026 indicates a focus on expanding revenue streams and enhancing technological capabilities.

Executive Commentary

Eivind Eriksson, CEO of Aker ASA, emphasized the company’s strategic agility, stating, "The ability to pivot has been key to our value creation over time." He also highlighted the growth potential of Aker’s industrial software segment, describing it as "a growth engine and a value driver in the Aker portfolio."

Risks and Challenges

• Geopolitical uncertainty could impact market conditions and investment opportunities.
• The integration of AI technologies poses both opportunities and challenges in execution.
• Real estate sector investments require careful management to ensure stable returns.
• Economic fluctuations may affect asset valuations and shareholder returns.

Aker ASA’s Q2 2025 earnings call underscores its strategic focus on innovation and diversification, setting a positive tone for future growth amid a complex market environment.

Full transcript - Aker ASA (AKER) Q2 2025:

Fredrik Berger, Head of Investor Relations, Aker ASA: Good morning and welcome to the presentation of Aker’s second quarter results for 2025. My name is Fredrik Berger and I am Head of Investor Relations. We will begin today’s presentation with Aker’s President and CEO, Eivin Eriksson, who will take you through the quarterly highlights and recent developments in the portfolio. Our CFO, Sainoskaya Stocknes, will then cover the quarterly financials in more detail. After the presentation, we will have a Q and A session.

And with that,

Eivind Eriksson, President and CEO, Aker ASA: I hand it over to Ewyn Eddickson. That’s appreciated, Fredrik. And thank you everyone for attending this presentation of the Aker ASA second quarter and half year results. During the quarter, we announced important transactions and we outperformed the market despite continued geopolitical uncertainty and volatility. Aker’s net asset value rose by 4,500,000,000.0, reaching 66,500,000,000.0.

We returned DKK 2,000,000,000 to shareholders through dividends, And the total shareholder return for the quarter was 10% compared to a 7% increase in the Austro Stock Exchange benchmark index and 11% decline in the Brent oil price. The first half of the year was once again an active period for Aker. We took several meaningful steps aligned with our long term strategy to simplify our portfolio and focus on growth platforms with dividend capacity or dividend potential. Aker Property Group expanded its footprint in real estate through investments in SBB and public property invest or PPI. In Aker Horizons, we took important steps to consolidate and simplify our ownership structure.

In parallel, we acquired Aker Carbon Capture’s 20% stake in SLB Capturri. Solskjaer Maritime was listed on Euronext Oslo Stock Exchange. Philadelphia Shipyard distributed 105,000,000 kroner in liquidation dividend, and the company is now in the process of being delisted and thereafter liquidated as soon as the escrow period expires in 2028. And AMSC distributed its shares in Solstad Maritime as a dividend in kind ahead of its IPO in May. This step returned more than SEK2 billion to shareholders.

Next is liquidation of the company with expected completion in the third quarter this year. Continuing on the theme of shareholder value creation. Across our portfolio, Aker distributed more than SEK19 billion in dividends to shareholders in the first half of twenty twenty five. While some of these were extraordinary dividends, it reflects our strategy to diversify and strengthen our sources of upstream cash flow. This level of distribution also speaks to our underlying resilience and solid financial performance.

Let’s now turn to real estate, already a contributor to Aker’s value creation and set to play an even larger role ahead. In the second quarter, we took deliberate steps to strengthen our position in the sector. Through Aker Property Group, we invested in SBB and PPI, which together managed properties more than SEK 100,000,000,000. SBB is one of Europe’s largest real estate companies within social infrastructure. It has strong underlying operations, but a challenged balance sheet with excessive debt.

This situation enables an attractive entry point at favorable terms. The investment also resonates with our focus on active ownership. With board representation, we are positioned to support the revitalization of SBB alongside other board members and management. The shared goal is building a more robust and sustainable platform for long term value creation and growth. We are also prepared to contribute additional capital and utilize our capital market experience, partnerships and long term perspective to support the company’s transformation.

PPI, on the other hand, already meets our investment criteria in terms of structure and balance sheet. However, we see further potential to grow the company’s portfolio of properties with long term leases and stable cash flows, laying the foundation for attractive quarterly dividends. Together, these investments represent a compelling fit with Aker’s strategic ambition to increase our exposure in the real estate sector, which contributes to further diversification of our portfolio and in creating shareholder value by deploying our financial and transactional capabilities. So, let’s turn to Aker Horizons. As announced in May, we are merging Aker Horizons business with Aker, which will enable sharper strategic focus on the company’s remaining assets: Mainstream, SLB Capturi and Powered Land in Najdvik.

In parallel, we acquired Aker Carbon Captur’s 20% stake in SLB Capturi. Aker ensured a significant liquidity event for ACC shareholders, who have received dividends of 5,200,000,000.0 during the first half of twenty twenty five. These transactions bring closure to a challenging chapter for AQhorizons and lay the foundation for renewed value creation. One area of growing potential is digital infrastructure. Previously both in Arc Horizons as operator and in ICP Infrastructure as a financial sponsor.

We are now in the process of consolidating Arcus data center initiatives under Aker’s direct ownership. This brings clarity and long term commitment that has already been well received by potential partners and customers. Key personnel from both Aker Risense and ICP infrastructure continue to be part of the development projects, now under Aker’s leadership and ownership. With two thirty megawatts of power, a construction ready site, and a strong partner ecosystem, we continue exploring opportunities for an AI factory in Najdvik. Moving on to industrial software and Cognite.

Cognite is accelerating its growth, delivering a strong second quarter. At the heart of their success is Cognite Data Fusion. More than just a data platform, it’s a powerful AI driven engine that transforms industrial operations. It empowers organizations to make smarter decisions, resolve issues faster and operate more sustainably. The latest release of CDF introduces cutting edge features like AI agents and ready to use data models, which are already driving measurable impact across global industries.

With over 140 ARR customers and growing, Cognizant is earning recognition as a leader in industrial data innovation. Their ability to outpace competitors is a testament to their strong technology foundation and sharp focus on delivering business value to customers. As demand for AI, robotics and automation continues to surge, Cognite is perfectly positioned to lead the next wave of industrial transformation. Let me finish my part of today’s presentation with a few words about our smallest, but also most symbolic investment in the quarter. A full scale replica of the dinosaur T.

Rex, reminding Aker employees about the risk of becoming obsolete if we are not agile, adaptable, and open for change. History tends to repeat itself. Geopolitical turbulence is no exception. Neither is Aker’s ability to adjust strategies and portfolio in response to new market realities and opportunities. Like what we continue to do in the second quarter by scaling down our green businesses and reallocating resources to real estate, industrial software and possibly AI factories.

The ability to pivot has been key to our value creation over time. In fact, the vast majority of today’s value comes from companies that barely existed when Helene and I began this journey, and the second quarter is a clear continuation of this pattern. The long term adaptability served Aker shareholders well, and I believe it will continue to do so. Well, I now hand it over to Svein Oskar, who will go through the financials for the quarter in more detail.

Svein Oskar Stocknes, CFO, Aker ASA: Thank you, Eivind, and good morning. Before we proceed, I would like to draw your attention to a change in our reporting structure. Replacing the previous industrial holdings and financial investments categories, Aker’s portfolio will now be grouped as listed and unlisted equity investments. We believe this new structure will facilitate more effective monitoring of value generation and enhance the clarity of our portfolio composition and net asset value reporting. The new structure will also increase the transparency regarding the value potential within our unlisted portfolio.

To begin, I will provide a brief overview of the key numbers for our listed and unlisted equity investments as well as cash and other assets followed by a more detailed discussion of our financial results. At the end of the second quarter, Aker’s listed equity investments were valued at billion. This represented 72% of the company’s total assets, equivalent to per share. The value increased by billion compared to the previous quarter, with the main contributions from Solstad Maritime and Aker BP. During the quarter, a dividend in kind from AMSC increased Aker’s ownership in Solstad Maritime from 42% to 52.

And following Solstad Maritime’s successful IPO in May, the reported investment value has been adjusted from book value to market value. Total dividends received from listed investments in the second quarter amounted to NOK2.3 billion with Aker BP accounting for million, Aker Solutions for million and Solstad Maritime for million. Additionally, Aker received a dividend in kind from AMSC valued at million. And of this million was recognized as dividend income and SEK354 million as repayment of capital. Then over to Aker’s unlisted equity investments, which represented 17% of Aker’s total assets at the end of the quarter and were valued at 13,000,000,000 or NOK 179 per share.

This represents an increase of NOK 1,500,000,000.0 compared to the previous quarter. Of this amount, $687,000,000 is explained by the value change in Aker Property Group following investments in SBB and Public Property Invest. During the quarter, Aker also acquired a 20% ownership stake in SLB Capturri from Aker Carbon Capture Captur for million in cash. This holding is included under unlisted investments as of the second quarter. Additionally, now reporting the market value of CT’s $7.54 bitcoins contributed million to the quarterly value change.

These assets were previously reported at book value. And the overall value increase was partially offset by a negative value adjustment of million related to the investment in ICP. Finally, cash and other assets, which represented 11% of Aker’s total assets at the end of the quarter, equivalent to per share, with a cash balance at the end of the quarter at million. Cash inflows totaled SEK4.2 billion composed of a loan drawdown of SEK2.5 billion and cash dividends received from Aker BP, Aker Solutions and Solstad Maritime of in total SEK1.7 billion in the quarter. Cash outflows amounted to SEK4.5 billion including a dividend payment of DKK2 billion and an interest bearing loan to Aker Property Group of DKK1.7 billion.

Net investments in portfolio companies ended the quarter at DKK614 million, of which SEK635 million related to the acquisition of a 20% stake in SLB Capturi. Operating expenses and net interest totaled SEK224 million in the period. Then let’s move to the second quarter financials for Aker ASA and holding companies, and starting with the balance sheet. In accordance with our accounting principles, investments are recognized at the lower of historical cost and market value. At the end of the quarter, the book value of Aker’s investments was billion, which represents an increase of SEK1.1 billion compared to the previous quarter.

This change primarily reflects a SEK635 million investment in SLB Capturi and SEK572 million from shares received in Solstad Maritime as a dividend in kind on the shares under the TRS agreements. The book value of equity at quarter end was billion, up NOK1.4 billion, mainly due to the profit before tax in the period. On a fair value adjusted basis, Aker’s gross asset value was billion. After subtracting for liabilities, the net asset value amounted to SEK66.5 billion or SEK895 per share. And the value adjusted equity ratio was 87%.

Of the total liabilities of NOK9.8 billion, billion is related to bond debt and bank loans. And the non interest bearing liabilities includes million negative value on the AMSC TRS agreements, primarily as a consequence of the distribution of a $572,000,000 dividend in kind in the period. OKR’s financial position remains robust with a total liquidity buffer of billion, including undrawn credit facilities and liquid funds. Net interest bearing debt was SEK2 billion at the end of the quarter, up from SEK0.8 billion in the previous quarter and as a result of strategic investments and capital allocations made during the period. The loan to value ratio stood at 11% reflecting our conservative approach to capital structure.

Additionally, approximately 72 of Aker’s gross asset value is held in listed assets and cash, ensuring both transparency and liquidity. At quarter end, Aker’s weighted average debt maturity was three point three years. The company drew 2,500,000,000.0 from available credit facilities, mainly to acquire a 20% stake in SLB Kapturri and to fund Aker Property Group’s investments in SBB and public property invest. Including available options for credit and loan extensions, the overall effective loan maturity is about four point four years. Moving to the income statement.

Operating expenses in the second quarter were million, reflecting a high activity level in the period. Dividend income was DKK2.3 billion, mainly from Aker BP, Aker Solutions, AMSC and Salmar. The net value change was negative SEK71 million, primarily due to negative value adjustments in ICP and Acastor that was partially offset by gains in Solstad Offshore. Net other financial items totaled negative million, driven mainly by NOK585 million loss on the total return swaps as explained earlier in addition to a SEK58 million non cash net foreign exchange loss. And finally, our profit before tax was SEK1.4 billion for the quarter.

Thank you. That concludes today’s presentation and we will now proceed to Q and A.

Fredrik Berger, Head of Investor Relations, Aker ASA: Thank you, gentlemen. Ewyn, starting with the real estate investments. What is Aker’s strategic plan and ownership agenda, also given SBB’s financial situation?

Eivind Eriksson, President and CEO, Aker ASA: Well, this started with our strategy and plan to allocate more capital to real estate in the current market. And then we identified the SPB and PPI as two attractive investment opportunities with quite different characteristics. PPI fits very well with our investment criteria, and we are committed to support the company for continued growth. SMB is a completely different story and a different point of departure. It’s a company which has been through a period of time with financial turbulence, a company which will need to strengthen its balance sheet and rebuild trust in the capital market.

We are already engaged with the board and the management to rebuild the foundation and as a consequence, reset the company for future growth.

Fredrik Berger, Head of Investor Relations, Aker ASA: Thank you. And as a follow-up, do you see the need to contribute more capital to solve SBB’s balance sheet?

Eivind Eriksson, President and CEO, Aker ASA: Well, we’re ready to do so, provided that additional capital allocation meets our investment criteria. But how to strengthen the balance sheet is a question to be answered by the board. Filink and I, we are already board members in SBB, so we were part of that process. So let’s run the process and leave with the board to conclude what actions and measures to take in order to strengthen the balance sheet. If capital is needed, Aker has at least the financial strength to support SB as we do with basically any portfolio company.

Fredrik Berger, Head of Investor Relations, Aker ASA: The next question. Given the current geopolitical volatility and the potential for new tariffs or trade restrictions, how do you view the macro situation? Well, that’s a

Eivind Eriksson, President and CEO, Aker ASA: big question. My role is to help Aker to be well positioned to adjust its business and portfolio to different market realities. So we have been working long and hard to basically be prepared to manage the unknowns. And that has served Aker well so far this year. Certainly, number of new external factors to understand and manage.

But so far, all the market volatility and all the geopolitical uncertainties have basically not impacted our operation. We are obviously exposed to capital markets volatility. But a steady course has been possible for Aker due to our robustness and due to the way we have prepared Aker for also the unknowns.

Fredrik Berger, Head of Investor Relations, Aker ASA: And then over to the Aker Horizons merger. Could you outline some of the key strategic priorities for the sub segments? How these assets could contribute to value creation moving forward? Well, for Aker, I’d say

Eivind Eriksson, President and CEO, Aker ASA: it was important to simplify the structure. In hindsight, it was too complex to have different vehicles trying to position themselves and see the best way forward in different green industries. So we decided to take Horizons private. And as a consequence, we will now consolidate organizations and continue to develop the three main remaining assets and activities in the Aker Horizons portfolio: Mainstream, in close collaboration with Mitsui SLB Captur, in close collaboration with SLB as a great partner, both in carbon capture and in other parts of the Aker Group And last but not least, Najdvik powered land, where we started exploring opportunities in areas like green ammonia and green steel. But we learned the need for AI factories and data centers fits even better for the sites.

So now we’re in advanced discussions with both data center operators and data center customers. And time will tell if we’ve finally managed to turn this into also a forward looking and attractive opportunity for the Aker Group. Thank you. Shifting focus to digital. What is the status on your software portfolio, perhaps in particular Cognite, which you touched upon in your presentation, and the data center opportunities that you also now introduced?

And as a follow-up, how do you foresee the need to contribute more capital in Cognite? Well, neither Cognite nor ACE are short of capital. So for us, it’s more about how we continue to develop and grow the companies, supported by third parties who can bring to the respective software companies more than only capital. So overall it’s a very exciting part of Aker Group’s portfolio and the Aker Group’s potential going forward. But the fact that we have Cognite and ACE in our Aker family has also contributed favorably to the digital journey in other parts of the group, Arke BP and Arke Solutions in particular.

Industrial software is a growth engine and a value driver in the Aker portfolio, but it’s also a transformation tool for the group at large.

Fredrik Berger, Head of Investor Relations, Aker ASA: Thank you very much, Ewyn. That was our final question. If you have any further questions after the presentation, do not hesitate to get in touch. Thank you for joining us today.

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