RO farming group Holde Agri lists its shares on BVB

The shares of Romanian agribusiness company Holde Agri Invest (HAI) started trading on the Bucharest Stock Exchange's AeRO market on October 1.

Over 1.62 million shares, representing 3.7% of the company's capital, were transferred on the first trading day. The traded value was RON 2.37 mln (EUR 487,000).

Trading started RON 1.8 per share and closed at RON 1.4 per share, setting a market capitalization of RON 60.3 mln (EUR 12.4 mln).

The average price on the first day (RON 1.46 per share) was 31% higher than the price paid by the investors who bought Holde shares in a private placement closed in June this year (RON 1.1135 per share).

The company drew about RON 12 million (EUR 2.47 mln) from private investors in June after a RON 10 mln share placement in December 2019.

Only the Class A (ordinary) shares of Holde Agri Invest, which represent 86.47% of the company's share capital, are traded on the BVB.

The remaining 13.53% are Class B (preferential) shares, not traded on BVB.

The company's business model is to buy existing farms, sometimes under-performing or with a capital deficit, to transform them into modern and efficient operations.

Holde Agri Invest's core business is the exploitation of agricultural land it owns or leases through the companies it controls. The group mainly targets farms of approximately 2,000 ha, as well as smaller farms for the operational consolidation of existing farms.

Holde expects to reach a turnover of RON 40 million this year and an EBIT margin of 17%.

(Photo: Diana Oros/ Inquam Photos)