Enersense - Results are burdened on many fronts

Enersense’s Q2 was weak, and H2 is set to remain modest. There’s still much uncertainty around the improvement slope, however valuation appears neutral relative to peers.

Inflation and certain low project volumes hurt Q2 results

Enersense’s Q2 top line declined 3% y/y to EUR 59.8m. The softness was mostly due to Smart Industry, where e.g. lower Olkiluoto project volumes explained the fall. The war also led to project delays, and the ICT strike hurt volumes within Connectivity (it also suffered from inflation particularly due to fuel). Inflation, which in the case of Enersense mostly means higher metal and fuel prices, is especially a problem in the Baltics, where long contracts also add to the pain. International Operations thus saw a marked decline in profitability even when revenue grew by 14% y/y. Existing framework agreements suffer from inflation, although Enersense has been able to make some progress in adjusting their rates for higher costs. Power fared relatively well due to its more dynamic nature of business.

Enersense continues to work towards its targets

Inflation was a major issue as adj. EBITDA fell to EUR -0.4m from EUR 4.8m a year ago. Enersense sees Q3 as the most profitable quarter also this year even though inflation continues to hurt results in H2. Investments in offshore wind capabilities will still be a burden in H2, in addition to which ERP investments are set to continue for a few years. H2 profitability will remain far below potential, but volumes continue to grow as recent orders announced over the summer indicate. There are also no major issues with e.g. labor availability. Enersense recently announced the acquisition of Voimatel to add to Connectivity and Power, but the deal still waits for competition authority approvals.

Valuation appears broadly in line with peers

We cut our FY ’23 adj. EBITDA estimate to EUR 16.7m from EUR 22.2m due to the current challenges. Enersense is valued some 5.5x EV/EBITDA and 12x EV/EBIT on our FY ’23 estimates. The earnings multiples are broadly in line with those of peers; there remains much uncertainty around next year’s margins, but our estimated 2.9% EBIT is still not that high a level. Enersense’s multiples are close to Eltel’s, and the two are also similar in the sense that FY ’22 results are set to be modest for both. Our new TP is EUR 6 (8); we retain our HOLD rating.

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