	wallenbergs fight bid for swedish match stake sweden s wallenberg group fought back a bid by the london based swedish financier erik penser to secure a large stake in swedish match smbs st one of the companies at the core of their business empire a statement issued by the wallenberg holding companies ab investor and forvaltnings ab providentia said they had taken over an option held by nobel industrier sweden ab to uire pct of the voting rights in swedish match thre wallenbergs paid nobel industrier nobl st in which penser group has a pct stake about pct over the market price for the swedish match option the statement said swedish match s b shares open to foreign buyers closed at crowns on friday the a shares with increased voting rights closed at crowns for the restricted and for the free shares the statement said the deal increased investor s stake to pct of the voting rights and pct of the share capital while providentia is left holding pct of the voting rights and pct of the share capital in swedish match the wallenbergs stake in swedish match had previously amounted to pct of the voting rights in the company the swedish match deal will cost the wallenbergs about mln crowns share analysts said making it one of the most expensise moves the group has undertaken in the last four years to defend its far flung interests from outside predators the wallenbergs originally sold nobel industrier an arms and chemicals group to penser in to pay for buying volvo volv st out of two other key group companies atlas copco asts st and stora koppabergs skps st since then the wallenbergs were ousted as the largest shareholders in skf skfr st by skanska ab skbs st and frederik lundberg wrested control of incentive ab from them lundberg a zurich based swedish property tycoon also managed to uire a pct stake in another wallenberg company the diary equipment firm alfa laval ab alfs st during the wallenbergs have been concentrating on building up their stake in investor and providentia to prevent any raid on the heart of their business empire but analysts say the wallenbergs position in the electrical engineering firm asea ab asea st is also too small at pct of the voting rights and there has been growing speculation that the group will be forced to sell off fringe interests to protect its core activities reuter 
