Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Nomura Holdings disclosed in its latest quarterly portfolio update that it acquired a 9.3% stake in hydrogen and electric truck maker Nikola during the final quarter of 2024.
Japan’s largest brokerage firm purchased 1,674,372 shares between October and December and significantly increased its call options to nearly 6.2 million, up from 289,920 in the previous quarter. The firm also acquired 4.84 million put options, valued at $5.8 million as of year-end.
The disclosure comes amid a volatile period for Nikola, whose shares hit a record low earlier this month following a Wall Street Journal report that the company was working with law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman to explore restructuring options, including a potential sale or bankruptcy.
Since then, Nikola’s stock has more than doubled as institutional investors report stakes in the struggling EV maker. As of writing, shares are surging 51% to $0.81.
According to Fintel, Nikola has currently 219 institutional shareholders holding 30.03 million shares.
Scotiabank Discloses 5.61% Stake
Scotiabank, one of Canada’s largest financial institutions, reported in an exchange filing that it ended 2024 with a 5.61% stake in Nikola. The bank acquired 4,740,923 shares between October and December.
Norges Bank Reduces Stake to 4.2%
Meanwhile, Norges Bank, Norway’s central bank, disclosed that its stake in Nikola fell to 4.2% by the end of 2024, down from 7.01% in the previous quarter. The decline reflects an increase in Nikola’s total shares outstanding.
The Phoenix-based manufacturer has not yet reported its production and sales figures from the final quarter of 2024. In recent quarters, Nikola always published its quarterly filing in the first days of the following quarter.
Year to date, the EV maker has seen several of its executives leave the company.
Nikola‘s founder and former CEO Trevor Milton said recently that the company’s management “has done everything they can to destroy the company,” adding that “they should be held accountable.”