Struggling Swedish landlord SBB took a major step toward stabilizing its finances after agreeing to cede control in a portfolio of school buildings to Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management Ltd.
(Bloomberg) — Struggling Swedish landlord SBB took a major step toward stabilizing its finances after agreeing to cede control in a portfolio of school buildings to Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management Ltd.
Samhallsbyggnadsbolaget i Norden AB — as the company is officially known — will get a cash injection of 8 billion Swedish kronor ($720 million) as part of the complex deal, largely closing its near-term funding gap. The shares surged as much as 40%, and the company’s senior unsecured bonds maturing in January 2025 jumped 5.2 cents on the euro, according to data complied by Bloomberg.
The deal marks the first significant breakthrough for SBB Chief Executive Officer Leiv Synnes, who replaced embattled founder Ilija Batljan in June. SBB, which owns schools, elderly care homes and other public-sector buildings, put itself as well as its entire portfolio up for sale as it tries to manage an $8 billion debt pile amid sharply rising interest rates.
SBB is the epicenter of Sweden’s property crisis. The company borrowed heavily during the cheap-money era to amas a portfolio of public-sector buildings, including schools, elderly care homes and residential buildings. Its debt burden has the company facing a funding shortfall of 8.1 billion kronor over the next 12 months.
To help close that gap, SBB agreed to sell a 1.16% holding in its education division to Brookfield, making the Canadian investor — which already owned 49% of SBB EduCo AB — the majority shareholder. As part of the deal, the Swedish landlord will get cash a partial repayment of a 14 billion kronor inter-company loan that was put in place in 2022 when Brookfield first became part owner in the unit, according to a statement on Sunday evening.
Proceeds for the loan repayment will come from a banking group that’s providing financing to the Brookfield-controlled unit, according to Synnes.
“You could say it’s a bridge from banks, and then it will be a capital markets solution,” he said by phone.
What Bloomberg Intelligence Says:
“This may be seen as positive for short-term bonds, but as the CEO acknowledges, further action is required. Though a review has ended, there may still be questions about revenue generation and SBB’s ability to support existing debt in the medium term.”
— Tolu Alamutu, BI credit analyst
The Brookfield deal forms part of a bigger reorganization to split SBB into three wholly or partially-owned business units in an effort to tap more sources of funding. The result of a strategic review that has now been concluded, the company said.
The education division, which the Canadian asset manager will control, will no longer be a subsidiary of SBB and operate on a standalone basis. Its ambition is eventually to be solely financed through capital markets and with a strong investment grade rating, SBB said.
The other two business units will comprise the community and residential portfolios. SBB said it would continue to explore opportunities to bring in equity partners that would hold a majority stake in its residential business by the end of next year, confirming an earlier report by Bloomberg News.
Synnes — an industry veteran who ran the books at rival Swedish landlord Akelius Fastigheter — has already refreshed SBB’s management team with a new finance chief and treasury director. But the internal promotions have done little to calm investor concerns. The company’s bonds and shares have languished near record lows in recent weeks without clear progress on easing the financing crunch.
SBB abruptly ended talks in July with Brookfield over the sale of the 51% stake. That deal was widely seen by the market as key for the ailing landlord as it raced to plug a funding shortfall of 8.1 billion kronor over the next 12 months. Prior to Sunday’s announcement, the company had struck deals with Morgan Stanley — through the sale of preferential shares — and some of its tenants to help plug that gap.
“We will need to raise more capital in the coming year to meet our commitments,” SBB’s CEO told Bloomberg. “This is a good step forward and will open up for more possibilities later.”
(Adds shares, further context and commentary from BI.)
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