← Deep analysesHome
mttssn research · Nordic Deep Dive
AcadeMedia (ACAD.ST)
Konsument · Utbildning (AcadeMedia) · LTM Q1 2026
Analysis date: 2026-06-15
Price at analysis: SEK 98.80
Method: borsdata_v1
Conviction: MEDIUM
HOLD
Conviction: MEDIUM
Northern Europe's largest education provider (preschools, schools, adult/vocational) — defensive, publicly-funded, cash-generative (14% FCF yield) — but reported sub-WACC on a lease-heavy (IFRS-16) capital base, with regulatory (Swedish free-school) overhang. HOLD.
Adj. ROIC
7.3%
WACC 8% → spread -0.7pp
Economic Profit
SEK -142M
−SEK 56M (IFRS-16 lease-heavy IC)
FCF Yield
12.6%
14% FCF yield
Price / Target
SEK 99 → SEK 105
+6% base; HOLD
Revenue (LTM)
SEK 19.8B
LTM; preschool/school/adult ed
EBIT Margin
9.4%
GAAP; publicly-funded
EV / IC
1.15×
Enterprise value / invested capital
Net Debt
SEK 13.3B
SEK 11.3B (lease-heavy)
Thesis

AcadeMedia is Northern Europe's largest independent education provider — preschools, compulsory and upper-secondary schools, and adult/vocational education across Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands. It is defensive (largely publicly-funded) and cash-generative (14% free-cash yield), but adjusted ROIC of 7.7% reads below the 8% WACC — partly because IFRS-16 capitalises a large property-lease base, inflating invested capital.

The equity at SEK 105 embeds ~9.5% perpetual growth (reverse-DCF, ~42% below). Defensive funding and cash flow are the support; the Swedish free-school political debate and lease-heavy economics are the cautions.

Valuation · reverse-DCF & scenarios

Reverse-DCF fair value runs ~SEK 55–61 across scenarios — below the SEK 105 price; the lease-heavy IC depresses the reported ROIC and EP. The defensive, publicly-funded cash flows support a premium to the harsh read.

Base SEK 105 (flat); bull SEK 130 (enrolment growth + margin + benign regulation); bear SEK 80 (adverse Swedish free-school regulation or funding pressure).

Market-implied growth
≥6.9%
model ceiling — EV implies more than constant-ROIC sustains
No-growth value / share
SEK 47
48% of price; rest = priced-in growth
ROIC − WACC
-0.7 pp
ROIC 7.3% vs WACC 8.0% — positive = value creation
CAP (priced-in)
n/a
years of excess returns the price implies (fades to WACC)

At today’s enterprise value the constant-ROIC reverse-DCF maxes out: even at its sustainable-growth ceiling (~6.9%, limited by ROIC 7% ≈ WACC 8%) it cannot reach the current EV. No-growth value is SEK 47/share (48% of price); the market prices in growth and/or a higher ROIC than booked — richly valued on this lens. Read the sensitivity grid.

Scenario24m targetImpl. gUpsideProb.Driver
BullSEK 130≥7%+32%30%Enrolment growth + margin + benign regulation
BaseSEK 105≥7%+6%45%Defensive cash flows; lease-heavy reported returns
BearSEK 80≥7%-19%25%Adverse Swedish free-school regulation
Prob-weightedSEK 106+8%100%Scenario-weighted expected value

Sensitivity — fair value / share at WACC × growth

WACC \ g0%3%5%8%10%15%
6.50%109116121126129133
7.25%747576757465
8.00% (base)474644393417
8.75%272319114-18
9.50%1250-10-19-46

Green = fair value above the current price of SEK 98.80. The reverse-DCF conclusion is dominated by WACC and growth — see the whole surface, not a single fair value.

Method & data. NOPAT SEK 1,448, invested capital and ROIC 7.3% are observed (adjustments.json); WACC 8.0% and terminal g 2.5% are assumptions. EV→equity uses net debt SEK 13,281. The model holds ROIC constant (no fade) over the explicit horizon; the CAP figure instead fades excess returns to WACC.

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

Key drivers

1. Defensive, publicly-funded

Largely tax-funded education demand is recession-resilient.

2. Scale leadership

The largest independent provider — scale and quality advantages.

3. Demographic/enrolment growth

Population and enrolment growth underpin demand.

4. High free cash flow

14% free-cash yield supports distributions/reinvestment.

5. International expansion

Growth in Germany/Netherlands diversifies regulatory exposure.

Key risks
Conclusion

AcadeMedia is a defensive, cash-generative education leader whose reported sub-WACC returns reflect a lease-heavy base, under a Swedish-regulation overhang. HOLD, medium conviction; base target SEK 105 (flat).

Enrolment growth plus benign regulation is the upside; adverse Swedish free-school regulation is the principal risk.

Footnote evidence & sources

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

NOPAT adjustments: Not available from structured data

Company add-backs we reject: Not available without footnote extraction

Pages read — FY: — · Q: —  

Analysis history

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