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mttssn research · Nordic Deep Dive
North Media (NORTHM.CO)
Konsumenttjänster · Direktreklam-/paketdistribution (FK Distribution, SDR) + bostadsmarknadsplats (BoligPortal) · LTM Q1 2026
Analysis date: 2026-07-28
Price at analysis: DKK 46.10
Method: mttssn_streamlined_v1
Conviction: MEDIUM
HOLD
Conviction: MEDIUM
North Media pairs a Danish leaflet/parcel network (FK Distribution, EBIT margin 13.7%) with a DKK772.5m securities war chest and BoligPortal -- Denmark's rental-marketplace leader, which alone out-earns the whole group. SDR's Swedish turnaround is worsening, not improving, quarter over quarter. Adjusted ROIC 12.5% clears WACC; HOLD pending the 2027 SDR/litigation catalysts.
Adj. ROIC
12.5%
WACC 8% → spread +4.5pp
Economic Profit
+DKK 20M
+DKK19.7m; ROIC 12.5% vs WACC 8%, moderate spread
FCF Yield
n/a
LTM FCF DKK121.3m (incl. securities-driven swing); funds the 46% payout
Price / Target
DKK 46 → DKK 52
+13% base; HOLD
Revenue (LTM)
DKK 1.3B
LTM DKK1,279.2m; -5.4% yoy, SDR-driven
EBIT Margin
5.6%
EBIT margin 5.6%; FK Distribution 13.7% vs SDR -18.9% (Q1'26)
EV / IC
n/a
Enterprise value / invested capital
Net Debt
n/a
Net CASH DKK742.6m (incl. DKK772.5m securities); EV only DKK181.9m
Thesis

North Media's core is a Danish leaflet- and parcel-distribution network (FK Distribution) built on route density and terminal scale, plus a Swedish sister operation (SDR) still mid-turnaround after a DKK155m FY2024 goodwill impairment. Digital Services -- BoligPortal (Denmark's market-leading rental marketplace), Dayli and Bekey -- is smaller (13% of revenue) but structurally higher quality: BoligPortal alone produced DKK4.5m of Q1 2026 EBIT against a DKK4.3m group total, i.e. it is effectively subsidising the rest of the business.

The group also carries a DKK772.5m portfolio of listed equities (NVIDIA, Microsoft, Novo Nordisk, Apple, Teradyne, Amazon among others) built from two decades of retained cash, explicitly disclosed as strategic M&A firepower rather than working capital. It generates volatile mark-to-market swings booked entirely below EBIT (-DKK39.7m Q1 2026, -DKK151.7m Q1 2025, +DKK217.4m FY2024) that make headline net income and EPS a poor read on the operating business -- adjusted NOPAT of DKK54.6m and adjusted ROIC of 12.5% (vs the company's own pretax EBITA-style 15.2%, which mttssn rejects for adding back genuine 10-year amortization on acquired distribution intangibles) are the cleaner lens.

The near-term swing factor is SDR: FY2025's EBIT swing to +DKK85.3m from -DKK34.0m (2024) was purely the non-recurrence of the 2024 impairment -- SDR itself remained loss-making (-DKK27.3m FY2025) and its Q1 2026 loss WIDENED to -DKK16.0m from -DKK12.1m even as management still guides to a full benefit from centralizing Swedish parcel-packing in Taastrup only by 2027. A second overhang is the unresolved FK Distribution abuse-of-dominance litigation (Danish Eastern High Court judgment expected April 2027, liability unreserved).

Valuation · reverse-DCF & scenarios

On an EV basis the stock looks statistically very cheap -- EV of only DKK181.9m against adjusted LTM NOPAT of DKK54.6m (3.3x) -- because the market ascribes limited value to the securities-funded balance sheet beyond its cash value while pricing the operating business conservatively given SDR's ongoing losses and the litigation overhang. P/BV of 0.8x and positive economic profit (+DKK19.7m) both point to some real discount, but it is not a deep one once the SDR drag and unresolved litigation are given appropriate weight.

Base DKK52 (+13%, SDR losses stabilize near current run-rate, FK Distribution and BoligPortal hold their margins, litigation stays unresolved but unreserved); bull DKK66 (+43%, SDR turnaround shows a genuine QoQ inflection ahead of the 2027 guide and/or the litigation is resolved favourably, re-rating toward the company's own net-cash-adjusted book); bear DKK37 (-20%, SDR losses keep widening, print-volume decline accelerates per the narrowed 2026 guidance, and/or an adverse litigation ruling crystallizes a liability).

Market-implied growth
≥-50.0%
model ceiling — EV implies more than constant-ROIC sustains
No-growth value / share
DKK 76
164% of price; rest = priced-in growth
ROIC − WACC
+4.5 pp
ROIC 12.5% 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 (~-50.0%, limited by ROIC 13% ≈ WACC 8%) it cannot reach the current EV. No-growth value is DKK 76/share (164% 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
BullDKK 66-13%+43%25%SDR shows a genuine QoQ inflection and/or litigation resolves favourably
BaseDKK 52-42%+13%45%SDR losses stabilize near current run-rate; FK Distribution/BoligPortal hold margins
BearDKK 37-20%30%SDR losses keep widening, print decline accelerates, and/or an adverse litigation ruling crystallizes
Prob-weightedDKK 51+11%100%Scenario-weighted expected value

Sensitivity — fair value / share at WACC × growth

WACC \ g0%3%5%8%10%15%
6.50%899497102106116
7.25%8185879193100
8.00% (base)767880838489
8.75%717374767881
9.50%686970727275

Green = fair value above the current price of DKK 46.10. The reverse-DCF conclusion is dominated by WACC and growth — see the whole surface, not a single fair value.

Method & data. NOPAT DKK 55, invested capital and ROIC 12.5% are observed (adjustments.json); WACC 8.0% and terminal g 2.5% are assumptions. EV→equity uses net debt DKK -743. 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. BoligPortal network effects

Denmark's rental-marketplace leader (26,963 landlords on-platform Q1'26) generated DKK4.5m of EBIT alone -- more than the entire group's DKK4.3m Q1 EBIT.

2. FK Distribution route-scale

Danish leaflet/parcel distribution EBIT margin rose to 13.7% in Q1'26 (+5.0pp yoy) even as printed-matter volumes decline structurally.

3. Net-cash balance sheet

DKK742.6m net interest-bearing cash position (incl. DKK772.5m securities) funds M&A optionality and cushions the SDR turnaround without bank debt.

4. Disciplined capital returns

46% payout of post-securities earnings plus opportunistic buybacks; DKK289m returned to shareholders over 5 years, dividend skipped only in the FY2024 impairment year.

5. Digital diversification

Dayli turned marginally profitable in Q1'26 (+DKK0.1m vs -DKK3.4m); BoligPortal/Dayli/Bekey carry 93-98%+ segment gross margins.

Key risks
Conclusion

North Media pairs a resilient, scale-advantaged Danish distribution franchise and a genuinely moated rental marketplace (BoligPortal) with a lossmaking Swedish turnaround (SDR) and a DKK772.5m securities book that dwarfs the operating business on the balance sheet. Adjusted ROIC 12.5% clears the 8% WACC (+DKK19.7m EP), and the stock trades near book value net of its cash pile -- but the SDR loss is still widening, not narrowing, and an unreserved litigation overhang runs to April 2027.

HOLD, medium conviction; base target DKK52 (+13%). This is a first, streamlined-tier note -- we would revisit toward BUY on evidence the SDR loss has troughed on a quarter-on-quarter basis (not just yoy) or on a favourable litigation outcome; either de-risks the catalyst the current price is effectively waiting on.

Footnote evidence & sources

Every adjustment traces to the cited note/page in the source filing — click to open it there. Latest interim: 📄 open

Adjustment / figureValueSourceWhy mttssn treats it this way
FY2025 revenue DKK1,296.0m / EBIT DKK66.2m1,296Totalindkomstopgørelse for koncernenConsolidated FY income statement, continuing operations (Ofir discontinued activity already carved out per company's own hoved-og-nøgletal convention).
FY2025 balance sheet: equity, debt, cash1,214Balance for koncernenFY2025 anchor balance sheet; superseded by Q1 2026 snapshot for IC purposes but used for FY comparatives and 5-year band checks.
Company APM definitions incl. own 'Investeret kapital' and ROIC formulas447Note 3 – NøgletalsdefinitionerCompany's own APM nets ALL interest/return-bearing assets (incl. securities) against equity+debt to derive Invested Capital -- directly informs and corroborates our excess-cash/securities-stripping IC methodology.
Segment revenue/EBIT split: Last Mile vs Digital Services85.3Note 5 – SegmentoplysningerDrives the retail-vs-industrial/software sector judgment call: Last Mile (FK Distribution+SDR) = 87% of external revenue and EBIT DKK85.3m FY2025; Digital Services (BoligPortal+Dayli+Bekey) EBIT DKK3.6m.
Securities/cash unallocated to segments, geographic revenue split70.1Note 5 – Segmentoplysninger (fortsat), geografiske oplysninger70.1% DK / 29.9% SE revenue split used to derive the blended 21.6% statutory tax rate; confirms securities/HQ properties are unallocated corporate items, not segment-operating assets.
FY2025 D&A/impairment breakdown: intangible DKK19.2m, PP&E DKK40.3m, no new impairment, DKK2.2m property-sale gain58.4Note 8 – Af- og nedskrivningerSource for the PPA-amortization LTM estimate (19.2/58.4=33% split ratio) and the one-off Helsingør property-sale gain normalization.
Afkast værdipapirer (return on securities) FY2025 DKK15.6m vs FY2024 DKK217.4m15.6Note 9 – Afkast værdipapirerConfirms return-on-securities is booked below EBIT and is a mark-to-market/dividend item on the trading securities portfolio, never mixed into operating EBIT.
SDR CGU impairment test: zero goodwill post FY2024 write-down, -4% terminal growth0Note 14 – Immaterielle og materielle aktiver, nedskrivningstestConfirms LTM window (FY2025 + Q1 2026) carries NO new impairment -- the DKK155m charge is entirely a FY2024 event outside the LTM window; flags the 2027 Swedish-turnaround thesis as the next impairment trigger to monitor.
Lease assets DKK33.7m (2025) / DKK29.6m lease debt at Q1 2026 -- immaterial vs total assets33.7Note 14 – Immaterielle og materielle aktiver (fortsat)Basis for lease_liabilities_in_ic = false: leased assets are a small residual (office/vehicle), not the primary operating asset base (owned real estate + terminals dominate).
Q1 2026 consolidated financial highlights: revenue, EBIT, ROIC, Invested Capital DKK439.8m440Consolidated financial highlights 📄 p.7Company's own disclosed Invested Capital (DKK439.8m) closely corroborates our independently-derived adjusted IC (DKK436.4m, within 1%) -- primary cross-check for the IC/securities-stripping methodology.
Securities portfolio DKK772.5m (Q1 2026), purpose = capital resources / M&A firepower772Capital resources / Securities portfolio commentary 📄 p.9Explicit management disclosure of the securities portfolio's non-operating purpose (strategic reserve, M&A firepower, independence from bank debt) -- the qualitative basis for excluding it from invested capital as excess/non-operating financial assets.
Q1 2026 consolidated statement of comprehensive income4.3Consolidated statement of comprehensive income 📄 p.14Full IS for Q1 2026 and Q1 2025 comparative used for LTM roll-forward of revenue/EBIT/tax/return-on-securities.
Q1 2026 consolidated balance sheet1,182Consolidated balance sheet 📄 p.15Primary IC snapshot source: equity, mortgage debt DKK97.5m, lease debt DKK29.6m, cash DKK97.2m, securities DKK772.5m, goodwill DKK41.1m, other intangibles DKK99.0m.
Q1 2026 segment information: FK Distribution, SDR, BoligPortal, Dayli, Bekey6.7Note 4 – Segment information 📄 p.19Confirms Q1 2026 segment-level EBIT trend (SDR loss widening, FK Distribution improving, Dayli turning marginally profitable) used in qualitative flags.
Contingent liability: FK Distribution abuse-of-dominance appeal, judgment expected April 20270Note 5 – Contingent liabilities and assets 📄 p.20Unreserved, not reliably estimable litigation contingency -- flagged for monitoring, not modelled.
Quality · Buffett tenets9 / 15
Understandable business
Distribution-fee + subscription model is simple to model (per-piece leaflet/parcel distribution fees, BoligPortal marketplace/SaaS take), but the DKK772.5m non-operating securities book (55% of total assets, Q1'26) headline-distorts reported earnings and must be stripped to see the DKK54.6m adjusted-NOPAT operating core.
Durable moat
[kostnads-skalfördel · eroderar (SDR)] FK Distribution EBIT margin 13.7% Q1'26 (+5.0pp yoy) on route-density scale vs sister segment SDR margin -18.9% and widening (-DKK16.0m vs -DKK12.1m Q1 loss); BoligPortal network effects partly offset (markedsleder, 26,963 landlords, EBIT DKK4.5m alone exceeds the whole group's DKK4.3m Q1 EBIT) but is only 13% of revenue; falsifierare: SDR loss narrowing quarter-on-quarter (not just yoy) toward the 2027 breakeven guide would lift this to stabil.
Management & capital allocation
[allokering · candor] 46% payout of post-securities net income plus opportunistic buybacks, DKK289m returned to shareholders over 5 years (dividend skipped only in the FY2024 impairment year), flat share count at 20.055m (no dilution); APM bridge divergence -3.06% (clean). Röd flagga: company's own EBITA-style ROIC APM (15.2% FY2025) adds back all intangible amortization and is presented prominently despite mttssn rejecting the addback (adjusted ROIC 12.5%) -- an optics choice, not dishonesty, but worth flagging.
Financial strength & returns
Adjusted ROIC 12.5% vs 8% WACC (+4.5pp spread, EP +DKK19.7m); equity ratio 79.9%, net interest-bearing cash position DKK742.6m, interest-bearing debt only DKK97.5m (mortgage on owned real estate) -- balance sheet survived the FY2024 SDR impairment/loss year without stress.
Valuation margin of safety
Price DKK46.1 vs P/BV 0.8x and EV/adjusted-NOPAT 3.3x (EV DKK181.9m on DKK54.6m NOPAT, net cash-heavy); base target DKK52 (+13%) is a modest, not deep, discount pending the SDR turnaround and litigation catalysts resolving through 2027.