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SpareBank 1 Sor-Norge (SB1NO.OL)
Financials · Large southern-Norway bank (post-merger) · LTM Q1 2026
Analysis date: 2026-06-09
Price at analysis: NOK 188.80
Method: mttssn_streamlined_v1
Conviction: MEDIUM
BUY
Conviction: MEDIUM
A large southern/southwestern-Norway bank formed by the 2024 SR-Bank + Sorost-Norge merger — CET1 17.67%, Aa3, near-zero losses, a 6.4% yield + active buyback. Reported ROE ~12% is depressed by merger/goodwill drag (merger-adjusted ~14%); on a normalized 13% the Gordon fair value is ~NOK 199 (+5.6%). BUY/accumulate; base NOK 199.
Return on Equity
11.6%
Cost of equity ~10.0%
Price / Book
1.26×
1.35x book; normalized-ROE Gordon ~1.43x
Fair P/B (Gordon)
1.23×
(ROE−g)/(COE−g); g 3%
Price / Target
NOK 189 → NOK 199
+5% base; BUY
Price / Earnings
10.8×
~11.4x earnings
P / TBV
1.35×
Price / tangible book
Economic Profit
+NOK 1,046M
Residual income +NOK 1.0bn; ROE ~12% (norm 13%) vs 10% COE
Equity (book)
NOK 56.4B
Ordinary shares (SR-Bank legacy); CET1 17.67%, Aa3
Thesis

SpareBank 1 Sor-Norge is one of Norway's largest banks, created by the 2024 merger of SpareBank 1 SR-Bank and SpareBank 1 Sorost-Norge — a leading franchise across southern/southwestern Norway with the SpareBank 1 alliance's scale. FY2025 is the first full consolidated year; reported ROE ~12% (LTM) is depressed by goodwill/integration drag (merger-adjusted ~14%, normalized ~13%), with CET1 17.67%, an Aa3 rating, near-zero losses, and residual income +NOK 1.0bn over a 10% cost of equity.

On bank primitives it trades at 1.35x book, 1.46x tangible and 11.4x earnings, with a 6.4% dividend yield plus an active buyback (NOK 628m in Q1). On a normalized 13% ROE the Gordon fair P/B is ~1.43x -> ~NOK 199 (+5.6%); as merger synergies unwind the goodwill drag, the run-rate ROE should rise toward the merger-adjusted level. A high-quality, fortress-capitalised regional bank at a modest discount to fair value — the merger integration is the swing factor (and the temporary ROE drag is the opportunity). Note: it is an ordinary-share bank (SR-Bank legacy), not an equity-certificate structure.

Valuation · residual income (equity frame) & scenarios

Gordon fair P/B = (ROE-g)/(COE-g) with COE 10%, g 3%: a normalized 13% ROE -> ~1.43x -> ~NOK 199 (+5.6%); merger-adjusted 14% ROE implies more. Current 1.35x book, 11.4x earnings, 6.4% yield.

Base NOK 199 (normalized-ROE fair value); bull NOK 230 if synergies lift ROE toward 14%+; bear NOK 165 on integration setbacks / NII compression + a de-rate.

Market-implied ROE
11.8%
sustainable ROE the price already demands — vs 11.6% observed
Current → Fair P/B
1.26× → 1.23×
at a sustained 11.6% ROE, Ke 10.0%, g 3%
Excess-return premium
NOK 35 / sh
value above NOK 150.17 book from the +1.6pp 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 11.8% vs 11.6% currently earned; at a sustained 11.6% ROE the warranted P/B is 1.23× (NOK 185/sh, -2%).

Scenario24m targetImpl. ROEUpsideProb.Driver
BullNOK 23014%+22%35%Synergies lift ROE toward 14%+
BaseNOK 19912%+5%45%Normalized-ROE fair value
BearNOK 16511%-13%20%Integration setbacks / NII compression + de-rate
Prob-weightedNOK 203+8%100%Scenario-weighted expected value

Sensitivity — fair value / share at Ke × ROE

Ke \ ROE10%14%18%22%26%30%34%
8.50%191300410519628737846
9.25%168264360457553649745
10.00% (base)150236322408493579665
10.75%136213291368446523601
11.50%124194265336406477548

Green = fair value above the current price of NOK 188.80. For a financial the surface is dominated by cost of equity and sustainable ROE — not unit growth.

Method & data. ROE 11.6% 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. Merger synergies

Integration cost/revenue synergies unwind the goodwill drag, lifting ROE.

2. Regional scale

Leading southern-Norway franchise + alliance scale.

3. Fortress capital + buyback

CET1 17.67%, 6.4% yield + active buyback off surplus capital.

4. Low losses

Near-zero credit losses; Aa3 rating.

Key risks
Conclusion

SpareBank 1 Sor-Norge is a large, fortress-capitalised southern-Norway bank whose reported ROE (~12%) is temporarily depressed by merger/goodwill drag, trading ~6% below a normalized-ROE Gordon fair value with a 6.4% yield + buyback. BUY/accumulate; base NOK 199.

The merger-synergy unwind is both the swing factor and the opportunity; quality + capital underpin the case.

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 income to shareholders (LTM)6,240Income statement - Group p.14LTM = Q1 2026 shareholders' share 1,516 + FY2025 6,365 - Q1 2025 1,641, attributable to ordinary shareholders (excludes hybrid-capital owners' share).
Shareholders' vs hybrid split of profit6,365Income statement - Group p.14FY2025 Group profit after tax 6,694 splits into shareholders' share 6,365 and hybrid capital owners' share 329; we measure ROE on the shareholders' share only.
Total income (LTM)13,894Key figures - Group p.3LTM total income = Q1 2026 3,346 + FY2025 14,040 - Q1 2025 3,492.
Net interest income (LTM)9,141Key figures - Group p.3Core revenue line for a bank; LTM = 2,180 + 9,271 - 2,310. NII pressured by repricing/competition (NIM 1.71% Q1 vs 1.92% prior-year quarter).
Net commission and other income (LTM)3,253Key figures - Group p.3Fee income LTM = 799 + 3,241 - 787. Stable fee engine (payments, asset management, real-estate brokerage, accounting).
Total equity incl. hybrid (31 Mar 2026)56,383Balance sheet - Group p.15Latest-quarter total IFRS equity. Includes NOK 4,000m hybrid capital (AT1); common equity to shareholders = 56,383 - 4,000 = 52,383.
Hybrid capital within equity4,000Balance sheet - Group p.15AT1 hybrid capital is presented inside IFRS equity (Norwegian savings-bank convention); deducted to reach common equity 52,383 for ROE / P/B.
Intangible assets (incl. goodwill)3,795Balance sheet - Group p.15Intangibles 3,795 (predominantly merger goodwill) deducted from common equity to reach tangible common equity 48,588 for ROTCE / P-TBV. FY2025 year-end goodwill was 4,079 of 4,091 total per Note 29.
Goodwill (FY2025, Note 29)4,079Note 29 Intangible assetsOf total intangibles 4,091 at 31.12.2025, goodwill is 4,079 (customer contracts 10, R&D 2). Merger SR-Bank/Sorost-Norge contributed 3,565 of goodwill (1 Oct 2024).
ROE (LTM, avg common equity)0.12Key figures - Group p.3Bank return measure. 6,240 / avg common equity 51,939.5. Reported RoE FY2025 12.8%, Q1 2026 11.8%; adjusted for merger goodwill + costs 14.1% / 12.7%.
ROE adjusted for merger goodwill + costs (FY2025)0.141Key figures - Group p.3Management's underlying RoE excluding the transitional merger goodwill drag and one-off integration costs: 14.1% FY2025, 12.7% Q1 2026. Supports normalized ~13%.
Common equity tier 1 capital ratio (CET1)0.177Key figures / Capital adequacy p.3, p.11Regulatory capital strength. CET1 17.67% (Q1 2026), around the bank's 17.6% target; Tier 1 19.56%, total capital ratio 22.08%, leverage ratio 7.4%.
Cost to income ratio (FY2025)0.38Key figures - Group p.3C/I 38.0% FY2025 (38.3% Q1 2026; Banking Group 36.1%). Synergy realisation from the merger targeting a 150-FTE reduction by end-2026 is bringing costs down.
Impairment / loan-loss ratio (FY2025)0.001Key figures - Group p.3Low cost of risk: impairment ratio 0.09% FY2025, 0.06% Q1 2026. Loans in Stage 3 only 0.53% of gross loans - solid credit quality.
Shares issued375,460,000Quarterly overview - per-share data p.37375.46 million ordinary shares issued (unchanged through the period); ~3,778,982 held in treasury. Used for BVPS, P/B and market cap.
Market price SB1NO end of Q1210SpareBank 1 Sor-Norge share p.3Report's own 31 Mar 2026 close NOK 210.50 (P/B 1.49); current verified price NOK 188.80 (9 Jun 2026) used for live multiples (P/B 1.35).
Book equity per share (31 Mar 2026)141SpareBank 1 Sor-Norge share p.3Report's stated book equity per share 140.94 (Q1 2026), 137.40 (FY2025). Our BVPS 139.52 = common equity 52,383 / 375.46m issued shares (the report uses net-of-treasury); close.
Dividend per share FY202512SpareBank 1 Sor-Norge share p.3FY2025 dividend NOK 12.00 (all ordinary cash; up from 8.50 FY2024). Policy ~50% cash payout + share buybacks. Yield ~6.4% at NOK 188.80.
Net purchase of own shares (Q1 2026)-628Statement of changes in equity - Group p.16NOK 628m net buyback in Q1 2026, confirming the active share-buyback program that supplements the cash dividend under the new capital-return policy.
Pre-tax profit (LTM)8,168Key figures - Group p.3LTM pre-tax profit = 2,005 + 8,349 - 2,186; pre-tax profitability proxy for a bank (after impairments).
Merger completion date2,024Board report / Note 41 - merger SR-Bank + Sorost-NorgeMerger of SR-Bank and Sorost-Norge completed 1 October 2024 (IFRS 3). FY2025 is the first FULL consolidated year - actual, not pro-forma. Goodwill 3,565 recognised on the merger.
Analysis history

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

Quality · Buffett tenets11 / 15
Understandable business
SpareBank 1 Sor-Norge — large Norwegian bank (2024 merger of SR-Bank + Sorost-Norge); leading southern/southwestern Norway; legible.
Durable moat
Strong regional: a leading position across southern Norway + SpareBank 1 alliance scale; ordinary-share structure.
Able & honest management
Conservative, high payout + active buyback; integrating the SR-Bank/Sorost-Norge merger.
Financial strength
CET1 17.67%, Aa3, low losses; ROE depressed by merger/goodwill drag that synergies should unwind.
Margin of safety
Modest: 1.35x book / 11.4x earnings, ~6% below a normalized-ROE Gordon fair value; 6.4% yield.