QUEST FOR GROWTH: Upgrade to Buy on excessive stock price drop

We decided to upgrade our TP to Buy from Accumulate, while confirming our € 6.7 TP. This decision solely reflects the fact that the stock’s recent drop isn’t warranted by a decline of the portfolio’s underlying asset value.

Our view:
Despite Quest’s stock price soared since the beginning of 2011 in a clear outperformance vis-a-vis major international indices and Quest’s direct benchmarks, the current stock price is far from what we believe to be defendable. Clearly, the stock’s limited liquidity and absence of short-term triggers do not work in favour of the market valuation, butbased on yesterday’s close we estimate adjusted equity value p.s. at € 9.1 (€ 105m). Te corresponding discount amounts to a stunning 38.9%. Our TP implies a 26.4% discount to this NAV level and leaves 20.5% upside. We have promoted Quest for Growth to ourTop Pick list of our Holding and Investment Companies coverage scope, flanking Ackermans, Kardan and RHJ International.