2023 Year-end report: Record high operating surplus

2/13/2024 6:30 AM

Ulrika Hallengren, CEO of Wihlborgs, comments on the fourth quarter:

- The conclusion of 2023 was incredibly active for Wihlborgs. Never before have we signed new leases with such a high value as we did in the fourth quarter of 2023, SEK 146 million. We also had substantial terminations but once again posted positive net lettings for the quarter, this time with SEK +18 million.

- Wihlborgs’ rental income increased 9 percent in the fourth quarter. The quarter’s operating surplus also increased 9 percent, resulting in a slight upswing in the surplus ratio. With improved earnings and slowly declining borrowings, we can continue to strengthen the net debt/EBITDA ratio, which now stands at a multiple of 10.3. Available funds in the form of unutilised credit facilities plus liquid assets amounted to slightly more than SEK 3.2 billion. In light of our healthy earnings, strong balance sheet and stable liquidity, the Board proposes a dividend of SEK 3.15 per share, which is an increase of SEK 0.05.

- During the year, we reduced energy consumption with 6 percent and reduced Scope 1 and 2 CO\2 \emissions per sqm with 50 percent in Sweden and 6 percent in total, at the same time as we increased the share of environmentally certified office properties in Sweden from 49 to 71 percent. Moreover, we have driven our new-build projects toward an increasingly lower Scope 3 CO\2 \impact, which is the area where our industry has the greatest climate impact. I am also pleased and proud of the record high score in our annual employee survey, posting a confidence index of 90, up from 86 last year.

Wihlborgs Fastigheter AB (publ)

At 9:00 a.m. today, Ulrika Hallengren and Arvid Liepe will present the interim report via a webcast and telephone conference.

Link to webcast:
https://financialhearings.com/event/47265

This information is of such a kind that Wihlborgs Fastigheter AB (publ) is legally required to disclose pursuant to the EU’s Market Abuse Regulation and the Swedish Securities Market Act. This information was submitted for publication through the agency of the following contact people on 13 February 2024, at 7:30 a.m. CET.

Wihlborgs Fastigheter AB (publ) is a property company that focuses on commercial properties in the Öresund region. Its property portfolio is located in Malmö, Helsingborg, Lund and Copenhagen. In Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg, Wihlborgs is the leading property company. The book value of the company’s properties totals SEK 56 billion, representing an annual property rental value of SEK 4.4 billion. Wihlborgs’ shares are listed on the Large Cap List of Nasdaq Stockholm.