Zalaris (OSE: ZAL)

Last close As at 13/05/2024

NOK72.20

1.20 (1.69%)

Market capitalisation

NOK1,608m

Zalaris is a leading provider of comprehensive human capital management and payroll solutions. The company operates across 17 countries and supports the payroll and HR needs of more than 1.5 million employees every month.

Equity proposition

There are five key reasons why Zalaris represents an exciting investment case.

  1. It operates in the fast-growing human capital management and payroll market, forecast for 8–10% annual growth as businesses increasingly look to streamline back-office functions.
  2. Zalaris is highly competitive in large, complex multi-country projects – an attractive sub-segment of the wider market. Its single platform approach across countries gives it a distinct advantage over less scalable peers when bidding for substantial contracts.
  3. With the potential to serve 150 countries, Zalaris has fostered deep geographic reach and strong client relationships across a diverse range of industries. Its solutions are utilised by organisations of all types and sizes, from large multinational corporations to municipal governments. This broad industry coverage provides resilience and significant cross-sell potential.
  4. With around 80% recurring revenue, a low churn rate of c 3% and an average contract duration of five years, Zalaris has predictable cash flows and clear earnings visibility due to its long-lasting customer relationships.
  5. There is substantial room for margin expansion and earnings growth, with management targeting 10% annual growth and a 500bp improvement in EBIT margins by 2026 through operating leverage and efficiency gains.

Zalaris is a market leader exposed to structurally growing demand for payroll and HR solutions globally. With resilience, strong client retention and visible earnings growth, it shapes up as an exciting investment case.

Latest Insights

View More

TMT | Update

Zalaris — Continuing contract momentum in FY24

TMT | Flash note

Zalaris — Commencement of strategic review

TMT | Initiation

Zalaris — Simplifying HR and payroll solutions

TMT | edison tv

Zalaris – executive interview

Sector

TMT

Equity Analyst

Milo Bussell

Associate Analyst, Consumer and Media

Key Management

  • Gunnar Manum

    CFO

  • Hans-Petter Mellerud

    CEO

Balance Sheet

Forecast net debt (NOKm)

N/A

Forecast gearing ratio (%)

N/A

Share Price Performance

Price Performance
% 1M 3M 12M
Actual 1.1 50.7 85.1
Relative 0.2 32.7 61.7
52 week high/low NOK73.4/NOK37.4

Financials

Zalaris reported its ninth consecutive quarter of year-on-year revenue growth in Q124, up to a record NOK318m. New contract momentum has continued, while the net retention rate of existing clients within Managed Services was 109%, driven by an increase in upselling of additional services. Profitability is improving as the benefits from its EBIT improvement programme are bearing fruit alongside operational leverage. Zalaris’s strong contract momentum has led us to upgrade our revenue estimates by 1.9% to NOK1,275m for the year at an improved adjusted EBIT margin of 10.9%, more closely reflecting the Q124 exit-margin. These results underpin management’s confidence in achieving its FY26 revenue target of NOK1.5bn at an adjusted EBIT margin of 12–15%. The company continues to undertake the strategic review that was announced in early-April, with management expecting to announce a conclusion in Q224.

Y/E Dec Revenue (NOKm) EBITDA (NOKm) PBT (NOKm) EPS (fd) (öre) P/E (x) P/CF (x)
2022A 892.7 106.2 6.1 6.69 1079.2 N/A
2023A 1131.2 162.6 21.5 129.27 55.9 N/A
2024E 1275.4 223.2 104.3 3.86 1870.5 12.3
2025E 1410.1 253.8 131.7 4.98 1449.8 11.5

Thematics

thematic

TMT

MediaWatch – Rinse and repeat

thematic

TMT

MediaWatch – Still waiting…

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