Hansson Family Increases Stake in Nordic American Tankers Above Key 5% Threshold

2025-12-22 companies

Hamilton, Monday, 22 December 2025.
Founder Herbjorn Hansson and Vice-Chair Alexander Hansson acquired 400,000 shares today, pushing the family’s ownership past 5% and reinforcing their position as the largest private shareholder group.

Strategic Accumulation at a Premium

The transaction, executed on Monday, December 22, 2025, involved a synchronized purchase by the company’s top executives. Herbjorn Hansson, serving as Founder, Chairman, and CEO, purchased 200,000 shares at a price of $3.50 per share, bringing his personal holding to 5,300,000 shares [1]. Simultaneously, Vice-Chair Alexander Hansson matched this volume with an identical purchase of 200,000 shares at the same price point, increasing his stake to 5,350,000 shares [1]. Collectively, the family now controls 10,650,000 shares [1]. Notably, the purchase price of $3.50 represents a premium over recent market valuations; data from the previous trading session on December 20, 2025, indicated a share price of $3.37 [4]. This willingness to acquire equity above the prevailing market rate underscores the leadership’s conviction in the asset’s intrinsic value.

Fleet Optimization and Operational Focus

This increase in insider ownership aligns with a broader period of fleet restructuring for Nordic American Tankers. Just days prior, on December 18, 2025, the company announced agreements to sell two of its older Suezmax tankers, built in 2004 and 2005, for a net price of $50 million [5]. This divestment appears to be part of a modernization strategy, following a November 3, 2025, announcement regarding a letter of intent to construct two new Suezmax tankers at a South Korean shipyard [2]. The company currently maintains a fleet of approximately 20 Suezmax crude oil tankers, each capable of carrying one million barrels of oil [2]. By balancing the disposal of aging assets with the acquisition of new tonnage, management aims to maintain operational efficiency in the competitive global energy shipping sector.

Financial Consistency and Shareholder Returns

The timing of the share purchase coincides with the company’s latest distribution to shareholders. A cash dividend for the third quarter of 2025, announced on November 28, is payable today, December 22, 2025 [2]. This payment continues a long-standing track record for the tanker operator, which has now distributed dividends for 113 consecutive quarters since its listing in 1995 [1]. While the company reported a loss for the third quarter due to decreased voyage revenue [2], the Hansson family’s continued accumulation of shares—following a previous purchase by the CEO on September 30, 2025, at $3.11 per share [5]—suggests a focus on long-term value over short-term earnings volatility. As of late December 2025, the company holds a market capitalization of approximately $713.60 million [4].

Sources

Insider Ownership Shipping Industry