Stop asking us to short Aroundtown. Viceroy is long Aroundtown.
PLEASE READ IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
Viceroy Research reversed its stance on Aroundtown (AT1:DE), from investigating it as a potential short to initiating a long position. The stock is deeply undervalued at ~0.36x NAV and unfairly bashed versus a peer average of 0.70x. Our base case upside is 94%.
Viceroy has a long track-record in exposing corporate malfeasance and bad governance in REITs. In investigating all prevailing short theses of Aroundtown, we turned up nothing. We conclude that Aroundtown's portfolio is conservatively marked: our in-house valuation exceeded reported book value by ~12%.
Management should aggressively expand buybacks funded by asset disposals or modest additional leverage.
February 17, 2026 – After years of receiving unsolicited requests to investigate this business: we did. Viceroy is long the equity of Aroundtown S.A. (AT1:DE). The market narrative has been shaped by repetition of legacy short arguments which do not withstand scrutiny.
Viceroy originally believed Aroundtown to be a short, and have investigated all prevailing short thesis of Aroundtown, which turned up nothing. We were wrong, and now we’re long. The short argument is tired, the valuations are true, and the stock is unreasonably cheap: the emperor is fully clothed.
Aroundtown emerges as a conservatively valued, financially resilient European real estate investor with multiple, realistic catalysts for value appreciation. Our thesis requires no heroic assumptions: Aroundtown should trade on a Price-to-NAV in line with peers:
Our base case sees Aroundtown’s upside at 94%
Aroundtown has already engaged in €250m of unlevered buybacks. The stock is so cheap, and the company is so modestly levered, that we believe management should expand this program via accelerated asset disposals or through moderate increases in leverage that do not breach rating restrictions.
Stock buybacks are the best value AT1 can deliver to shareholders at current NAV discounts, either via asset sales or leverage.
At current market prices: €1 of AT1 exposure purchases ~€2.7 of unencumbered, performing assets.
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