← Deep analysesHome
mttssn research · Nordic Deep Dive
Sparebank 1 Ringerike Hadeland (RING.OL)
Financials · Small Norwegian savings bank (equity certificates) · FY2025 + Q1 2026
Analysis date: 2026-06-15
Price at analysis: NOK 434.00
Method: mttssn_streamlined_v1
Conviction: LOW
HOLD
Conviction: LOW
A small, well-run Norwegian regional savings bank (Ringerike/Hadeland) with fortress capital for its size (CET1 18.1%, Moody's A2) and negative loan losses. ROE was a record 14.5% in FY2025 (one-off-adjusted ~13.3%); on a normalized 13.5% the Gordon fair value is ~NOK 434, essentially the current price. The headline ~10.1% dividend yield is flattered by an extraordinary distribution (ordinary ~6.1%) that needs regulatory approval. Fairly valued, with thin liquidity and limited disclosure as caveats. HOLD, low conviction; base NOK 440.
Return on Equity
14.7%
Cost of equity ~10.0%
Price / Book
1.36×
1.50× book (equity-certificate basis)
Fair P/B (Gordon)
1.67×
(ROE−g)/(COE−g); g 3%
Price / Target
NOK 434 → NOK 440
+1% base; HOLD
Price / Earnings
9.3×
~9.3× earnings
P / TBV
1.38×
Price / tangible book
Economic Profit
+NOK 201M
Residual income positive; ROE ~14.5% (norm 13.5%) vs 10% COE
Equity (book)
NOK 5.0B
EC ratio 97.34%; CET1 18.1%, Moody's A2
Thesis

SpareBank 1 Ringerike Hadeland is a small savings bank serving the Ringerike and Hadeland districts of Norway, part of the SpareBank 1 alliance, with the listed security an equity certificate (97.34% EC ratio). For its size the quality is high: a record 14.5% ROE in FY2025, CET1 18.1% (3.2pp above the requirement), a Moody's A2 rating and negative loan losses (-0.01%). It trades at 1.50x book / ~1.52x tangible and ~9.3x earnings.

Two things temper conviction. First, the earnings quality: the record 14.5% ROE was flattered by one-off SamSpar gains and recurring-but-volatile financial-investment income (~16% of total income), so the clean run-rate is closer to ~13.3-13.5%, and the cost/income ratio is rising (37.4% FY2025 -> 42.3% in Q1 2026). On a normalized 13.5% ROE the Gordon fair value is ~NOK 434 — essentially the ~434 price (~NOK 475 on the reported 14.5%). Second, practical caveats: the certificate is thinly traded, and only interim/preliminary FY2025 figures were available (the audited annual report was not resolvable). The headline ~10.1% dividend yield is inflated by an extraordinary distribution (ordinary ~6.1%) that requires Finanstilsynet approval. A quality micro-cap bank, fairly valued.

Valuation · residual income (equity frame) & scenarios

Gordon fair P/B = (ROE-g)/(COE-g) with COE 10%, g 3%: a normalized 13.5% ROE gives a fair value ~NOK 434 (~current); the reported 14.5% implies ~NOK 475. Current 1.50x book, ~9.3x earnings.

Base NOK 440 (~fair on normalized ROE); bull NOK 490 if the ~14.5% ROE proves durable and a re-rate follows; bear NOK 360 if one-offs fade, cost/income keeps rising and the multiple de-rates.

Market-implied ROE
12.5%
sustainable ROE the price already demands — vs 14.7% observed
Current → Fair P/B
1.36× → 1.67×
at a sustained 14.7% ROE, Ke 10.0%, g 3%
Excess-return premium
NOK 214 / sh
value above NOK 319.22 book from the +4.7pp 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 12.5% vs 14.7% currently earned; at a sustained 14.7% ROE the warranted P/B is 1.67× (NOK 533/sh, +23%).

Scenario24m targetImpl. ROEUpsideProb.Driver
BullNOK 49014%+13%30%~14.5% ROE proves durable; re-rate
BaseNOK 44013%+1%45%~Fair on normalized ROE
BearNOK 36011%-17%25%One-offs fade; C/I rises; multiple de-rates
Prob-weightedNOK 435+0%100%Scenario-weighted expected value

Sensitivity — fair value / share at Ke × ROE

Ke \ ROE10%14%18%22%26%30%34%
8.50%4066388711103133515671799
9.25%358562766970117513791583
10.00% (base)319502684866104912311414
10.75%28845361878394711121277
11.50%26341356371486410141164

Green = fair value above the current price of NOK 434.00. For a financial the surface is dominated by cost of equity and sustainable ROE — not unit growth.

Method & data. ROE 14.7% 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. Fortress capital

CET1 18.1% (+3.2pp over requirement), Moody's A2 — strong for a micro-cap bank.

2. High payout

Ordinary ~6.1% yield (headline ~10.1% incl. an extraordinary, approval-pending distribution).

3. Benign credit

Negative loan losses (-0.01%) — a low-risk regional book.

4. Local franchise

Entrenched relationships in the Ringerike/Hadeland districts.

Key risks
Conclusion

SpareBank 1 Ringerike Hadeland is a high-quality, fortress-capitalised micro-cap Norwegian savings bank, but at 1.50x book it sits ~at a normalized-ROE Gordon fair value, with thin liquidity, limited disclosure and one-off-flattered earnings as real caveats. HOLD, low conviction; base NOK 440.

Own it for the capital strength and ordinary dividend; the rating is capped by valuation, liquidity and the quality of the headline ROE.

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 profit after tax (group, FY2025)734Board report / preliminary FY2025 result p.6Record full-year group profit after tax. NI to equity holders = 734 - 27 hybrid (AT1) coupons = 707, the basis for reported ROE excl. hybrid.
Net interest income (group, FY2025)807Result summary p.4Core bank revenue line. 807 reported; 885 including commissions from the SB1 Boligkreditt/Naeringskreditt covered-bond foundations. Down ~19m YoY on two Norges Bank rate cuts in 2025.
Total income (group, FY2025)1,445Result summary p.4Sum of net interest income 807 + net commission & other income 410 + net return on financial investments 228 = total operating income 1,445 for the year.
Pre-tax profit (group, FY2025)905Result summary p.4Operating profit proxy for a bank = profit before tax ('resultat for skatt'), after operating costs 545 and a net loan-loss reversal of -5. Tax expense 171.
Total equity (group, 31 Mar 2026)4,996Balance sheet - group, Q1 2026 p.21Latest-quarter equity snapshot is the bank invested-capital base. Down from 5,534 at 31.12.2025 because the NOK 688m FY2025 dividend was deducted in Q1. Includes hybrid (AT1) 343m; common equity ex-AT1 = 4,653m.
Hybrid (AT1) capital in equity343Balance sheet - group, Q1 2026 p.21AT1 'fondsobligasjon' of 343m (was 350m at YE) sits within IFRS equity but is excluded from common equity for ROE; the bank reports ROE 'excl. hybrid'. Coupons (27m FY2025) deducted from profit to owners.
ROE excl. hybrid (FY2025)0.145Board report p.6Bank return measure. Reported 14.5% (record); management's one-off-adjusted figure 13.3% (one-off financial gains 58m). Computed 14.0% on NI-to-owners 707 / avg common equity 5,057.5 cross-checks.
ROE adjusted for one-off effects (FY2025)0.133Board report p.6Management's own underlying ROE excluding one-off financial effects (NOK 58m gain on sale of SamSpar stakes). Used with reported 14.5% to set normalized through-cycle ROE 13.5% for the Gordon anchor.
CET1 ratio (Ren kjernekapital, FY2025)0.181Solidity & capital adequacy p.13Regulatory capital strength (proportionally consolidated). CET1 18.1% vs requirement 14.9% = +3.2pp margin; total capital ratio 21.9%. CRR3 (1 Apr 2025) added ~1.9pp. Q1 2026 CET1 18.0%.
Cost/income ratio (group, FY2025)0.374Board report / key figures p.5-6Group C/I 37.4% FY2025 (parent bank 32.2%), up from 32.1% on higher staff and IT/alliance costs and the high-activity estate-agency subsidiary. Q1 2026 rose to 42.3% (group) — a cost-efficiency watch item.
Loan-loss ratio incl. credit foundations (FY2025)-0Board report p.6Net loan-loss REVERSAL of NOK 5m for the year (ratio -0.01%); model-based provisions cut on portfolio migration and model calibration. A NOK 12.5m macro-uncertainty overlay is retained. Stage-3 net non-performing 0.56% of gross loans. Q1 2026 a further -22m reversal.
Equity certificate count (par NOK 100)15,650,405Note 12 EC holders & distribution p.3715,650,405 listed equity certificates at par NOK 100 (eierandelskapital 1,565m). Used for market cap, P/B, EPS/EC. Unchanged at 31.03.2026.
Equity certificate ratio (egenkapitalbevisbrok)0.973Note 12 / key figures p.5, 37EC holders own 97.34% of the bank's equity capital (A / (A+B)); the residual 2.66% is community-owned primary capital ('grunnfond'). Stable across years. Explains the gap between listed EC count and data-vendor 'share' counts.
Book value per EC (31 Mar 2026, post-dividend)289Key figures - EC, Q1 2026 p.5Post-dividend book value per equity certificate NOK 289 (down from 324 at 31.12.2025 after the 44.00 dividend). Used as the current P/B and Gordon fair-value denominator.
Dividend per EC (FY2025)44Profit distribution proposal p.16Total NOK 44.00/EC = ordinary 26.35 (412m) + extraordinary 17.65 (276m); 100.2% payout of EC holders' share of group profit. Extraordinary requires Finanstilsynet approval. Recurring ordinary yield ~6.1%.
EC price & P/B at 31 Mar 20261.55Key figures / board report, Q1 2026 p.5Bank's own P/B 1.55x at NOK 448 (31.03.2026). Current verified price NOK 434 (8 Jun 2026) gives P/B 1.50x on book/EC 289. Confirms the live multiple basis.
Moody's issuer ratingA2Rating section p.14Moody's A2 stable issuer rating, citing good credit quality, low losses, strong capitalisation and consistent performance. Supports a moderate (not punitive) cost of equity despite small size.
Analysis history

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

Quality · Buffett tenets10 / 15
Understandable business
SpareBank 1 Ringerike Hadeland — small Norwegian regional savings bank (Ringerike/Hadeland); listed equity certificates; legible.
Durable moat
Low: a small single-region savings bank with local relationships but no scale moat; thinly traded.
Able & honest management
Conservative and well-capitalised, high payout; only interim/preliminary FY2025 disclosure was available (a transparency caveat).
Financial strength
Fortress for its size: CET1 18.1% (+3.2pp over requirement), Moody's A2, negative loan losses (-0.01%).
Margin of safety
Limited: at 1.50x book it sits ~at a normalized-13.5%-ROE Gordon fair value (~NOK 434) — fairly valued; the headline yield is partly extraordinary.