Another good year for Penta
The investment group Penta reported a net profit of €236m in 2017, €15m lower compared to the record year of 2016. The EBITDA profit of its portfolio companies rose 19% to €382m and the value of their assets by 6% to €9bn. The key profit generators were betting firm Fortuna, pharmacy chain Dr. Max, Prima banka and Privatbanka, as well as Penta Real Estate. Last year, the group invested €545m (+12%), and this year it plans its first investments outside Europe. Dr. Max is considering entering the Chinese market. The current acquisition of the Romanian pharmacy chain A&D Pharma is the largest Penta acquisition to date. Forbes estimates that the net wealth of Penta partner Jaroslav Haščák rose €100m to €840m in the past year.
