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mttssn research · Nordic Deep Dive
Swedbank (SWED-A.ST)
Financials · Swedish/Baltic mortgage bank · FY2025
Analysis date: 2026-06-15
Price at analysis: SEK 333.40
Method: mttssn_streamlined_v1
Conviction: MEDIUM
HOLD
Conviction: MEDIUM
A high-quality, well-capitalised Swedish/Baltic mortgage franchise — ROE ~14.7%, ROTCE ~16.3%, ~36% cost/income, near-zero credit losses, 17.8% CET1 — earning a ~4.7pp spread over its ~10% COE (residual income +SEK 10.2bn). At 1.66x book / 11.5x earnings it sits right at a Gordon fair P/B of ~1.68x (fair ~SEK 337), so the ~8.9% dividend (incl. special) is the main return. HOLD; base SEK 335.
Return on Equity
14.5%
Cost of equity ~10.0%
Price / Book
1.66×
1.66× book; fair ~1.68×
Fair P/B (Gordon)
1.64×
(ROE−g)/(COE−g); g 3%
Price / Target
SEK 333 → SEK 335
+0% base; HOLD
Price / Earnings
11.4×
~11.5× earnings
P / TBV
1.85×
Price / tangible book
Economic Profit
+SEK 10,182M
Residual income +SEK 10.2bn (ROE−COE ~4.7pp)
Equity (book)
SEK 225.8B
Common equity SEK 226bn; CET1 17.8%
Thesis

Swedbank is a leading Swedish and Baltic retail bank, dominated by a large, low-risk mortgage book and a low-cost operating model (~36% cost/income). It earns a strong ROE ~14.7% (ROTCE ~16.3%) on a ~1.54% NIM with near-zero credit losses (a net provision release in FY2025) and a 17.8% CET1 ratio. On a ~10% cost of equity that is a ~4.7pp value-creative spread (residual income +SEK 10.2bn), and the bank distributes most of it — a gross dividend yield of ~8.9% including the special.

Two things cap the upside. First, valuation: at 1.66x book / 1.85x tangible / 11.5x earnings, the stock trades right at a Gordon fair P/B of ~1.68x (fair ~SEK 337), so there is little multiple re-rating to come — the return is the dividend plus a cyclical NII tailwind as rate cuts feed through. Second, the unresolved Baltic anti-money-laundering legacy remains a governance and capital tail-risk. A quality compounder to own for the capital return, fairly valued.

Valuation · residual income (equity frame) & scenarios

Gordon fair P/B = (ROE−g)/(COE−g) with COE 10%, g 3% and ROE ~14.7% gives ~1.68x → fair value ~SEK 337 (reported 15.2% ROE implies ~1.74x / ~SEK 350). Current 1.66x book, 11.5x earnings, ~8.9% gross dividend yield.

Base SEK 335 (at warranted P/B); bull SEK 375 if ROE holds ~15% and the AML overhang clears; bear SEK 280 on a Baltic credit/AML shock or a sharper NII squeeze.

Market-implied ROE
14.6%
sustainable ROE the price already demands — vs 14.5% observed
Current → Fair P/B
1.66× → 1.64×
at a sustained 14.5% ROE, Ke 10.0%, g 3%
Excess-return premium
SEK 129 / sh
value above SEK 200.85 book from the +4.5pp 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 14.6% vs 14.5% currently earned; at a sustained 14.5% ROE the warranted P/B is 1.64× (SEK 330/sh, -1%).

Scenario24m targetImpl. ROEUpsideProb.Driver
BullSEK 37516%+12%30%ROE holds ~15%; AML overhang clears
BaseSEK 33515%+0%45%At warranted P/B; dividend is the return
BearSEK 28013%-16%25%Baltic credit/AML shock or sharper NII squeeze
Prob-weightedSEK 333-0%100%Scenario-weighted expected value

Sensitivity — fair value / share at Ke × ROE

Ke \ ROE10%14%18%22%26%30%34%
8.50%2564025486948409861132
9.25%225354482611739868996
10.00% (base)201316430545660775889
10.75%181285389492596700803
11.50%165260354449543638733

Green = fair value above the current price of SEK 333.40. For a financial the surface is dominated by cost of equity and sustainable ROE — not unit growth.

Method & data. ROE 14.5% 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. Swedish mortgage franchise

Large, low-risk mortgage book + ~36% cost/income = high, stable ROE.

2. Big capital returns

~8.9% gross dividend (incl. special) off a 17.8% CET1 surplus.

3. Value-creative spread

ROE ~14.7% vs ~10% COE → residual income +SEK 10.2bn.

4. Rate-cut NII tailwind

Mortgage repricing supports NII as policy rates ease.

Key risks
Conclusion

Swedbank is a high-quality, fortress-capitalised Swedish/Baltic mortgage bank (~14.7% ROE, +SEK 10.2bn residual income) trading right at its Gordon fair P/B of ~1.68x with a ~8.9% dividend. HOLD; base SEK 335.

Own it for the capital return, not re-rating; the swing factors are the Baltic AML resolution and the NII path.

Footnote evidence & sources

Every adjustment traces to the cited note/page in the source filing — click to open it there. Annual report / 10-K: 📄 open  ·  Latest interim: 📄 open

Adjustment / figureValueSourceWhy mttssn treats it this way
32,762
68,736
44,000
44,203
225,802
22,661
0.152
0.36
0.015
0.178
0
0.006
1,124,225,510
201
29.8
199,113
333
Analysis history

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

Quality · Buffett tenets11 / 15
Understandable business
Swedbank — Swedish + Baltic retail mortgage bank with a low-cost model; legible, deposit-funded.
Durable moat
Large Swedish mortgage + Baltic retail franchise with ~36% cost/income, but mortgage banking is competitive and the Baltic/AML legacy is an overhang.
Able & honest management
High capital returns (~8.9% dividend incl. special) on a 17.8% CET1; the unresolved Baltic AML history tempers the governance score.
Financial strength
ROE ~14.7%, ROTCE ~16.3%, NIM ~1.54%, CET1 17.8%, near-zero credit losses — strong, value-creative returns (+SEK 10.2bn residual income).
Margin of safety
Limited: 1.66x book ≈ a Gordon fair P/B of ~1.68x (fair ~SEK 337) — at fair value, with a fat ~8.9% yield the main return.