“The company purchased a total of 355,619 shares on Friday, March 6.” (From KL news)
The volume is so high that the list of potential sellers is quite narrow:
| 2 | Kari Joki-Hollanti | 4 779 533 | 26,17 | 26,17 | 25.02.2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Alcur Fonder | 1 152 553 | 6,31 | 6,31 | 31.01.2026 | |
| 4 | Handelsbanken Fonder | 697 066 | -9 410 | 3,82 | 3,82 | 28.02.2026 |
| 5 | eQ Asset Management Oy | 563 578 | 76 349 | 3,09 | 3,09 | 25.02.2026 |
| 6 | TIN Fonder | 503 582 | 2,76 | 2,76 | 31.01.2026 | |
| 7 | Lemonsoft Oyj | 468 401 | 69 876 | 2,56 | 2,56 | 25.02.2026 |
The company is unlikely to have sold its own shares to the majority owner, so it is either Joki-Hollanti, eQ, or one of the Funds (Fonder).
It will be interesting to see whether they are starting a serious takeover bid or just taking the easily available shares off the market.
If Rite seriously wants to corner the minority shareholders, it is already possible with that ownership stake. After that, it could certainly be quite challenging to arrange any more IPOs for their portfolio companies.
I previously looked into the company’s listed holdings: Nelly Group, CDON, Söder Sportfiske, and Lemonsoft. In the longer term, the share price performance doesn’t look too festive (except for Nelly, which only recently collapsed but has risen significantly in the long run). Rite’s majority owner stated in a KL news article last autumn that the company had generated a 44% CAGR for its owners, so they certainly know how to generate high returns somehow.
In the cases of Lemonsoft and Söder Sportfiske, shares were sold at a good price during the IPO and then bought back cheaper from the market. I wonder if the intention is to increase the value of the companies on the exchange and buy undervalued stock, or to take the companies private at a discount? Given the stock exchange release that came in the middle of the night over the weekend, there is a slight fear of the latter.
I’m waiting with interest to see what the analysts think of this move. As a new owner, I’ll keep holding the shares and see how things progress. Buy the ticket, enjoy the ride.