Holding company

Exor: NAV per share down 4 per cent in the first half of the year

Share buy-back programme of up to 500 million euros, involving the repurchase of own shares on the market until March 2027

JOHN ELKANN PRESIDENTE VENTO IMAGOECONOMICA

4' min read

Translated by AI
Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI
Versione italiana

The first half of 2026 was marked by geopolitical tensions and uncertainty on global markets, which also had an impact on Exor’s portfolio. The Agnelli-Elkann family’s holding company, which controls Stellantis, Ferrari and Juventus, closed the first half of the year with a net asset value (NAV) of €32 billion, equivalent to €157.9 per share, down 3.9 per cent compared with the end of 2025 and against an 11.8 per cent rise recorded by the MSCI World Index (the company’s benchmark) over the same period. The holding company reported a gross asset value of 35.76 billion, down 3.7 per cent, due to a fall in the value of its subsidiaries. Owing to the share’s undervaluation, it was decided to launch a share buyback programme of up to €500 million.

Meanwhile, on the divestment front, Exor has reached an agreement to sell its stake in Welltec, which will yield a return of 2.4 times the capital invested and will bring the company’s cash position to 4 billion, to be used for new investments.

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Stellantis’s loss in value

Of the four largest companies in the portfolio, Stellantis was the only one to see its share price fall in the first six months of the year, which had a significant impact on Exor’s NAV. Looking to the future of the automotive group, the text highlights how, at its Investor Day, Stellantis unveiled FaSTLAne 2030, the five-year strategy under the leadership of Antonio Filosa, backed by €60 billion in investment. The strategy, writes Elkann, ‘is based on disciplined growth’: the stated objective is a significantly higher operating margin by the end of the decade, a return to positive free cash flow from operations, and a major cost-cutting programme. In this regard, Elkann emphasises that “the initial results are encouraging”.

Ferrari’s results

Ferrari, described by Exor’s CEO as ‘our largest company’, has followed a different trajectory. The Maranello-based car manufacturer has once again posted solid results and has revised its forecasts for the current full year upwards. Furthermore, in the first half of 2026, it unveiled the Ferrari Luce and the Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale, two models which, according to Elkann, demonstrate the company’s ability to combine tradition and innovation. ‘Our belief in Ferrari remains stronger than ever,’ the statement reads. Earlier this year, the shareholders’ agreement with the Ferrari family was also extended, with the aim of reaffirming ‘our shared commitment to the company and to the stability of its ownership structure’.

The stake in Philips

Exor has since updated the agreement governing its relationship with Philips, enabling the holding company to increase its stake in the firm. “We support Philips’ long-term strategy,” says Elkann, identifying value creation, innovation-driven growth and the ability to execute as the key elements of that strategy.

Divestments

The holding company’s portfolio has, however, continued to evolve over time. At the start of the year, the Iveco Group completed the sale of its defence business to Leonardo, whilst Tata Motors launched a takeover bid for the Iveco Group’s commercial vehicle and powertrain businesses. The transaction is expected to be finalised in November.

Exor has also completed the disposals of GEDI, Lifenet and NUO and has signed an agreement to sell its stake in Welltec. According to the letter, the transaction “will generate a MOIC (multiple on invested capital, ed.) of approximately 2.4 times” and will bring the liquidity available for new investments to around €4 billion. “We are satisfied with the disposals carried out this year and the returns they have generated,” writes Elkann, also highlighting the transition of the companies into entities capable of supporting them in their next phase of growth.

The proceeds from the disposals, together with those received in 2025 and those expected over the remainder of the year, strengthen Exor’s financial position and streamline the holding company’s structure, giving it ‘two key functions’: to protect the company when conditions become unfavourable and to enable it to act decisively when new opportunities arise, including for a new investment on a scale similar to that in Philips.

The share buyback plan

With regard to the share price, Elkann points out that Exor shares, listed on Euronext Amsterdam, continue to trade at a significant discount to NAV and that, furthermore, ‘they do not reflect our assessment of the portfolio’s intrinsic value’. Hence the decision to launch a share buyback programme of up to 500 million euros. The share buyback will be carried out on the market until the publication of the next financial results in March 2027. Looking ahead to the rest of 2026, the approach outlined by Elkann is summarised in the letter’s closing words: “We will continue to maintain our focus, to simplify and to act with prudence.”

The letter concludes with a reference to Wave by Vento, the event scheduled for October that will bring together founders, investors and leaders from the technology sector from all over the world. Elkann says he is ‘delighted to be able to take part’ and notes that Vento is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. Launched in 2016 as a project to support Italian entrepreneurial talent, Vento has since backed over 210 start-ups, helping to create more than 3,000 jobs in companies with a combined value of over 3 billion euros.

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