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mttssn research · Nordic Deep Dive
Sparebanken More (MORG.OL)
Financials · More-og-Romsdal savings bank (equity certificates) · LTM Q1 2026
Analysis date: 2026-06-09
Price at analysis: NOK 111.72
Method: mttssn_streamlined_v1
Conviction: MEDIUM
HOLD
Conviction: MEDIUM
A clean, well-capitalised regional Norwegian savings bank (More og Romsdal) — CET1 17.3%, very low losses — but a borderline value creator: ROE ~11% over a 10% COE gives residual income of only +NOK 83m, far thinner than peer SMN/Nord-Norge. At 1.28x book / 11.9x earnings with a ~6.3% yield it is fairly-valued-to-modestly-rich; NIM compression is the risk. HOLD; base NOK 110.
Return on Equity
10.5%
Cost of equity ~10.0%
Price / Book
0.58×
1.28x book (premium-ish for an ~11% ROE)
Fair P/B (Gordon)
1.08×
(ROE−g)/(COE−g); g 3%
Price / Target
NOK 112 → NOK 110
-2% base; HOLD
Price / Earnings
5.5×
~11.9x earnings
P / TBV
0.58×
Price / tangible book
Economic Profit
+NOK 83M
Residual income +NOK 83M; ROE ~11% vs 10% COE (thin)
Equity (book)
NOK 9.6B
EC ratio 49.1%; CET1 17.3%, total 21.1%
Thesis

Sparebanken More serves the More og Romsdal region of western Norway, with the listed equity certificate representing the ~49.1% owners' fraction. The balance sheet is exceptionally clean (intangibles ~NOK 70m), CET1 17.3% (total capital 21.1%), losses very low (~0.05%). But the return is thin: owners' ROE ~11% over a 10% cost of equity gives residual income of only +NOK 83m — a borderline value creator, far weaker than peers like SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge (ROE ~17.7%, RI +NOK 1.4bn).

On bank primitives it trades at 1.28x book, 1.29x tangible and 11.9x earnings with a ~6.3% dividend yield (~69% payout incl. the community share). On a normalized 11% ROE the Gordon fair value is ~NOK 99.6 (-11%); on the FY2025 12.5% ROE ~NOK 118 (+6%). NIM compressed to 1.75% of assets in Q1 2026 (from 1.89%), so the case hinges on margin recovery. A quality-but-thin-spread bank, fairly-valued-to-modestly-rich for its return.

Valuation · residual income (equity frame) & scenarios

Gordon fair P/B = (ROE-g)/(COE-g) with COE 10%, g 3%: an 11% ROE -> ~NOK 99.6 (-11%); the FY2025 12.5% ROE -> ~NOK 118 (+6%). Current 1.28x book, 11.9x earnings, ~6.3% yield. A premium-ish P/B for an ~11% ROE.

Base NOK 110 (~current; thin spread, yield the return); bull NOK 122 if NIM recovers + ROE holds ~12.5%; bear NOK 95 on further NIM compression + a de-rate.

Market-implied ROE
7.1%
sustainable ROE the price already demands — vs 10.5% observed
Current → Fair P/B
0.58× → 1.07×
at a sustained 10.5% ROE, Ke 10.0%, g 3%
Excess-return premium
NOK 14 / sh
value above NOK 192.51 book from the +0.5pp ROE−Ke spread

The operating reverse-DCF (NOPAT / invested capital / WACC) does not apply to a balance-sheet business — leverage is the raw material and "net debt" is not meaningful. The equity is valued on residual income: book equity plus the present value of returns above the cost of equity, discounted at Ke; the single-stage lens is the Gordon fair price-to-book, (ROE−g)/(Ke−g). The market prices in a sustainable ROE of 7.1% vs 10.5% currently earned; at a sustained 10.5% ROE the warranted P/B is 1.07× (NOK 207/sh, +85%).

Scenario24m targetImpl. ROEUpsideProb.Driver
BullNOK 1227%+9%25%NIM recovers + ROE holds ~12.5%
BaseNOK 1107%-2%50%Thin spread; yield is the return
BearNOK 956%-15%25%Further NIM compression + de-rate
Prob-weightedNOK 109-2%100%Scenario-weighted expected value

Sensitivity — fair value / share at Ke × ROE

Ke \ ROE10%14%18%22%26%30%34%
8.50%2453855256658059451085
9.25%216339462585708832955
10.00% (base)193303413523633743853
10.75%174273373472571671770
11.50%159249340430521611702

Green = fair value above the current price of NOK 111.72. For a financial the surface is dominated by cost of equity and sustainable ROE — not unit growth.

Method & data. ROE 10.5% and book equity are observed (net income / total equity). Cost of equity 10.0% and terminal g 3% are assumptions, shown explicitly and overridable.

⤓ Download the full model (.xlsx) — formula-driven sheets; flex the blue input cells and the model cascades in Excel.

Key drivers

1. Regional franchise

Leading More og Romsdal position + alliance scale.

2. Clean balance sheet

Negligible intangibles; very low losses (~0.05%).

3. High dividend

~6.3% yield (~69% payout).

4. NIM recovery

A rebound in net interest margin would lift the thin ROE.

Key risks
Conclusion

Sparebanken More is a clean, fortress-capitalised regional bank but only a borderline value creator (ROE ~11%, RI +NOK 83m), fairly-valued-to-modestly-rich at 1.28x book with a ~6.3% yield. HOLD; base NOK 110.

Own it for the yield + capital strength, not a re-rating; NIM recovery is the swing factor.

Footnote evidence & sources

Every adjustment traces to the cited note/page in the source filing — click to open it there. Source reports archived locally.

Adjustment / figureValueSourceWhy mttssn treats it this way
Net interest income (FY2025 / Q1 2026)2,014Group income statement (Note 3) p.9, FY2025 columnCore bank revenue line. FY2025 NII 2,014 (1.89% of avg assets); Q1 2026 469 (1.75%), Q1 2025 485 (1.87%). LTM NII 1,998 = 469 + 2,014 - 485. Margin compression is the central earnings story.
Net commission and other operating income (FY2025)317Group income statement p.9Fee income line (commission income 305 - commission expenses 34 + other operating income 46). FY2025 317; Q1 2026 71, Q1 2025 66. LTM 322. Discretionary portfolio-management income up 25% YoY in Q1 2026.
Total income (FY2025)2,390Key figures / income statement p.2-9, FY2025 columnFY2025 total income 2,390 (NII 2,014 + net commission 317 + net financial instruments 59). Q1 2026 553, Q1 2025 566. LTM total income = 553 + 2,390 - 566 = 2,377.
Profit before impairment on loans (FY2025)1,397Group income statement p.9Pre-provision profit FY2025 1,397 (total income 2,390 - opex 993). Q1 2026 300, Q1 2025 315. Bank pre-provision profitability proxy.
Pre-tax profit (FY2025)1,350Group income statement p.9FY2025 pre-tax profit 1,350 (after impairment 47). Q1 2026 275, Q1 2025 302. 'operating_profit' field carries the LTM pre-tax 1,323 = 275 + 1,350 - 302.
Profit after tax (FY2025, group)1,030Group income statement p.9FY2025 group PAT 1,030 (record third consecutive year above NOK 1bn). Q1 2026 211, Q1 2025 232. LTM group PAT = 211 + 1,030 - 232 = 1,009.
Allocated to equity owners / AT1 coupon (FY2025)970Group income statement p.9 (profit allocation)FY2025 result allocated to equity owners (EC + community) 970, after AT1 coupon 60. Q1 2026 owners 197 / AT1 14; Q1 2025 217 / AT1 15. LTM owners = 197 + 970 - 217 = 950 (the owner-basis numerator for ROE / EPS / RI). No NCI.
EC ownership fraction (EC ratio / 'EC fraction 1.1')0.491Equity Certificates key-figure table p.3Equity-certificate holders' percentage of equity 49.1% (community/primary-capital 50.9%); stated as 'EC fraction 1.1 as a percentage (parent bank) 49.1'. The single most important structural figure — defines what the listed MORG certificate represents. Reconfirmed in per-EC footnote 'EC-holders' share (49.1%)'.
Total equity / AT1 (31 Mar 2026, 31 Dec 2025)9,586Group balance sheet (Liabilities and equity) p.11Total IFRS equity 9,586 at 31 Mar 2026 (9,374 at 31 Dec 2025; 9,258 at 31 Mar 2025), incl. AT1 750. Owners' common equity ex-AT1 = 8,836 (31 Mar 2026) / 8,624 (31 Dec 2025), the invested-capital base. Primary capital fund 3,807, gift fund 125, dividend equalisation fund 2,423, EC capital 995, share premium 382.
Intangible assets (group)70Group balance sheet (assets) p.11Intangible assets only NOK 70m (71 at 31 Dec 2025), essentially no goodwill — a very clean tangible balance sheet. Deducted from owners' common equity to reach tangible common equity 8,766; P/TBV barely above P/B.
Book value per EC (Group, 31 Mar 2026)87.2Equity Certificates key-figure table p.3Reported book value per EC (Group) NOK 87.2 (85.1 at 31 Dec 2025). Reconciles to our method: owners' common equity 8,836 x EC ratio 49.1% / 49.7955m EC = NOK 87.13. Basis for P/B 1.28x at NOK 111.72.
Profit per EC (Group) / number of ECs (FY2025)9.57Equity Certificates key-figure table p.3FY2025 profit per EC (Group) NOK 9.57; Q1 2026 1.94, Q1 2025 2.13. EC count 49,795,520, nominal NOK 20, EC capital NOK 995.9m. Our calc: owners' result 970 x 49.1% / 49.7955m = NOK 9.56 — confirms the owner-basis EC methodology. LTM EPS 9.37.
Return on equity (FY2025 / Q1 2026)0.125Key figures and APMs p.2Reported RoE FY2025 12.5%, Q1 2026 9.9%, Q1 2025 11.2% (owners' basis). Our LTM owners' ROE 10.95%; normalized through-cycle 11% used for Gordon. The fall to a 9.9% run-rate (barely above COE 10%) on margin compression is the key risk.
Common Equity Tier 1 ratio (CET1) and CET1 capital0.173Capital adequacy p.13-15CET1 ratio 17.3% (incl. 50% of profit) at 31 Mar 2026, 17.7% FY2025; comfortably above the 16.15% overall requirement. CET1 capital NOK 7,155m, RWA NOK 41,921m. Tier 1 19.1%, total capital ratio 21.1%. Foundation-IRB bank under CRR3 (effective in Norway 1 Apr 2025).
Cost/income ratio0.457Key figures and APMs p.2C/I 45.7% Q1 2026 (44.3% Q1 2025), 41.6% FY2025 (above the bank's <40% long-term target). The Q1 rise is income-driven (lower NII) rather than cost-driven — operating expenses were essentially flat (253 vs 251).
Losses as a percentage of loans (FY2025 / Q1 2026)0.001Key figures and APMs p.2 + losses narrative p.5Annualised loss ratio 0.05% FY2025, 0.11% Q1 2026 (impairment 25m, ~0.09% of avg assets) — still very low. Gross credit-impaired commitments ticked up to 1.33% (from 0.44%), largely one corporate exposure; NOK 28m of provisions relate to credit-impaired loans. Low-risk, mortgage-heavy book.
Loans / deposits and growth (31 Mar 2026)91,701Balance sheet summary p.1Loans to customers NOK 91,701m (12-month lending growth 3.3%, accelerating vs Q3/Q4 2025); deposits NOK 52,665m (deposit growth 2.7%); deposit-to-loan ratio 57.3%. Total assets 108,873. Region's housing market strong; bank gaining new customers in Nordvestlandet and major cities.
Proposed dividend per EC / total distribution (FY2025)7EC key figures p.3 + proposed dividend p.13-14Cash dividend NOK 7.00 per EC FY2025 (up from 6.25), total NOK 349m to EC holders + NOK 361m to the local community = NOK 710m, ~69% payout of group profit. Yield 6.27% on NOK 111.72. High, stable savings-bank distribution split by the 49.1%/50.9% ownership fraction.
EC price at Oslo Stock Exchange (history)117EC key figures p.3Bank's own MORG closing price NOK 117.0 (31 Dec 2025) and 117.4 (31 Mar 2026), stock market value NOK 5,826m / 5,848m, P/B 1.38x / 1.35x on reported book value. Live verified price NOK 111.72 (9 Jun 2026, ~5% lower) used for current multiples.
Analysis history

How the mttssn view has evolved — each prior dated note is preserved.

Quality · Buffett tenets10 / 15
Understandable business
Sparebanken More — Norwegian regional savings bank (More og Romsdal); listed equity certificates; legible.
Durable moat
Strong regional franchise, very clean balance sheet, but a mortgage-heavy book in a competitive market.
Able & honest management
Conservative, high payout; well-capitalised.
Financial strength
CET1 17.3%, very low losses, but a thin ROE-COE spread (residual income only +NOK 83m).
Margin of safety
Limited: 1.28x book ~at fair value on an ~11% ROE; ~6.3% yield is the return; NIM compressing.