Exploring AQ Group And 2 Other Promising Small Caps In Sweden

As the European Central Bank’s recent interest rate cuts fuel optimism for further monetary easing, Sweden’s market environment presents intriguing opportunities for small-cap investors. With major indices like the pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index showing positive momentum, now may be an opportune time to explore promising small-cap stocks such as AQ Group and others that demonstrate resilience and potential in a dynamic economic landscape.

Top 10 Undiscovered Gems With Strong Fundamentals In Sweden

Click here to see the full list of 54 stocks from our Swedish Undiscovered Gems With Strong Fundamentals screener.

We’ll examine a selection from our screener results.

Simply Wall St Value Rating: ★★★★★★

Overview: AQ Group AB (publ) is a company that manufactures and sells components and systems for industrial customers across Sweden, other European countries, and internationally, with a market cap of SEK12.24 billion.

Operations: AQ Group generates revenue primarily from its Component segment, contributing SEK7.81 billion, and its System segment, adding SEK1.59 billion. The company’s financial performance is influenced significantly by these segments.

AQ Group, a small yet robust player in Sweden’s market, has shown resilience with its earnings growing by 1.7% over the past year, outpacing the Electrical industry average of 0.3%. The company’s debt-to-equity ratio has significantly improved from 31.4% to 16.8% over five years, indicating prudent financial management. Despite a dip in third-quarter sales and net income compared to last year (SEK 1,949 million vs SEK 2,149 million; SEK 146 million vs SEK 171 million), AQ maintains high-quality earnings and positive free cash flow while trading at an attractive valuation of roughly two-thirds below estimated fair value.

OM:AQ Debt to Equity as at Oct 2024

Simply Wall St Value Rating: ★★★★★★

Overview: Clas Ohlson AB (publ) is a retail company that offers a range of hardware, electrical, multimedia, home, and leisure products across Sweden, Norway, Finland, and internationally with a market cap of approximately SEK11.01 billion.

Story continues

Operations: Clas Ohlson generates revenue primarily from its retail specialty segment, amounting to SEK10.66 billion.

Clas Ohlson, a Swedish retailer, has shown impressive financial resilience with its debt-free status, having reduced its debt-to-equity ratio from 6.5% five years ago. The company is trading at 64% below its estimated fair value, suggesting potential undervaluation compared to peers. Recent sales figures reveal a robust performance with SEK 860 million in September 2024 alone and year-to-date sales of SEK 4.45 billion—up by 17%. Earnings have surged by an astounding 282%, outpacing the Specialty Retail industry significantly. With free cash flow positive and high-quality earnings reported, Clas Ohlson presents an intriguing investment opportunity amidst market uncertainties.

OM:CLAS B Debt to Equity as at Oct 2024

Simply Wall St Value Rating: ★★★★☆☆

Overview: TF Bank AB (publ) is a digital bank that offers consumer banking services and e-commerce solutions using its proprietary IT platform, with a market cap of SEK 6.69 billion.

Operations: TF Bank generates revenue primarily from three segments: Credit Cards (SEK 563.14 million), Consumer Lending (SEK 602.16 million), and Ecommerce Solutions excluding Credit Cards (SEK 380.14 million).

TF Bank, a financial entity with total assets of SEK25.3 billion and equity of SEK2.5 billion, has shown robust earnings growth of 28.1% over the past year, outpacing the industry average of 11.8%. Despite having high-quality earnings, the bank faces challenges with a high level of bad loans at 11.4%, though it maintains low-risk funding sources comprising 95% customer deposits. Trading at nearly half its estimated fair value and with recent net income rising to SEK147 million for Q3 from SEK101 million last year, TF Bank remains an intriguing prospect in Sweden’s financial landscape despite significant insider selling recently observed.

OM:TFBANK Earnings and Revenue Growth as at Oct 2024

Next StepsCurious About Other Options?

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include OM:AQ OM:CLAS B and OM:TFBANK.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com