2023-07-07 16:29:19
SNC-Lavalin sells its engineering activities in Scandinavian countries. This transaction shows that there would be an appetite for certain assets that the Montreal engineering firm is seeking to sell, according to an expert.
The company has reached an agreement with the French firm Groupe Systra to sell it its engineering activities in Denmark, Sweden and Norway, SNC-Lavalin announced Friday. The value of the assets sold is estimated at 80 million pounds sterling, or approximately $136 million.
The transaction should be concluded this fall and would be beneficial for the Quebec company, management said in a press release.
The announcement is part of a strategic business review initiated in March by SNC-Lavalin. “Today, this agreement further optimizes our portfolio of activities to ensure the deployment of capital and human resources in areas offering the greatest potential for value creation,” commented President and Chief Executive Officer, Ian Edwards.
Analyst Benoit Poirier, of Desjardins Capital Markets, believes that one of the main elements of the strategic review is to determine which regional activities manage to generate satisfactory margins. “Today’s announcement suggests that this was not the case for the Scandinavian activities,” he concludes.
SNC-Lavalin managed to get a “very attractive” price for a company that generates low margins, said Poirier. “Not only will the transaction allow SNC-Lavalin to deploy capital to its priorities and fund remaining losses from turnkey contracts, it will contribute to improved margins for engineering services overall. »
The small size of SNC-Lavalin in the region should ensure that its activities generate low margins, said analyst Maxim Sytchev of National Bank Financial. “We believe that the reasons supporting the transaction are good for both parties, especially since Systra has a relatively large presence in the region. »
The analyst believes that the transaction allays concerns regarding whether SNC-Lavalin will find buyers for the assets, which are performing below expectations. “If SNC-Lavalin wants a valuation comparable to WSP or Stantec, the company must further prune its operations, including the Linxon firm, but also operations and maintenance activities and possibly its remaining stake in Highway 407. »
Mr. Edwards has already indicated that Linxon, a subsidiary specializing in the electrification of projects, was among the assets targeted by the strategic review.
The strategy is moving in the right direction, believes Mr. Sytchev, who says he receives many questions from investors who want to know if it’s time to bet on a turnaround. “For this, the generation of constant cash flows is an essential condition,” he believes.
On the contrary, Mr. Poirier thinks it is a good time to buy shares in the company. He points out that the stock is trading at a bargain equivalent to around 5 times the earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) forecast for 2024 compared to comparable companies.
The company’s financial results have been volatile in recent years, particularly due to turnkey contracts. SNC has not bid on these types of projects since 2019, as they often experience cost overruns.
The company must still complete three before the activities of this division are completed. These are the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) in the greater Montreal area, the Trillium light rail line in Ottawa, and the Eglinton line in Toronto.
In May, Mr. Edward reiterated that the two projects in Ontario were almost complete and that the REM was progressing “very well”. “The REM was 75% complete at the end of March. Our quarterly losses are in line with our forecasts,” he said at the time, during a conference call with financial analysts.
SNC-Lavalin’s stock capped around $57 to $60 between 2008 and 2018, before a major correction in its stock. Year-to-date, the stock is up nearly 45%, but it’s still trading nearly 40% below its 2018 peak.
The action gained Friday 32 cents, or 0.93%, to $ 34.85 on the Toronto Stock Exchange, in the morning.
To see in video
1688860285
#SNCLavalin #sells #Scandinavian #operations
