Business & Markets 2013
Written by Ho Wah Foon of theedgemalaysia.com
Tuesday, 26 February 2013 20:29
KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): Based on corporate filings with Bursa Malaysia today, stocks that attract investor interest on Wednesday (Feb 27) could include IHH, FGV, Maxis, Carlsberg, Lion Div, JTI, Supermax, Star and Padini.
IHH Healthcare Bhd's net profit in the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2012, rose 276% year-on-year to RM195.9 million after carrying out more complicated medical procedures and higher patient admissions.
The group's revenue during the quarter jumped by 82% year-on-year to RM1.52 billion.
The improved performance was underpinned by higher revenue stemming from the medical group undertaking more complicated procedures, on top of higher patient admissions, the company said in a briefing for the media.
This group's full year net profit for 2012 and revenue more than doubled to RM798.9 million and RM 6.98 billion respectively.
Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGV) posted a 36% fall in fourth quarter net profit from a year earlier despite revenue growth as higher operating cost at its PLANTATION []s ate into the company's bottom line.
FGV said it posted a net profit of RM179.64 million for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2012 (4QFY12) against RM279.14 million previously.
Revenue, however, more than doubled to RM3.86 billion from RM1.88 billion on higher crude palm oil (CPO) sales, according to the firm.
FGV's full-year net profit came to RM805.78 million, a 39% decrease from RM1.33 billion a year earlier although revenue grew 73% to RM12.89 billion from RM7.45 million.
FGV plans to reward shareholders with a dividend of 8.5 sen a share in 4QFY12, bringing the payout for the year to 14 sen.
On its prospects, the company said it plans to replant its tracts in Indonesia to further grow earnings.
Maxis Bhd posted a net profit of RM378 million for its fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2012, a 58% fall from RM900 million a year ago, due to lower earnings, higher financing and amortisation cost.
Revenue rose slightly to RM2.31 billion, from RM2.27 billion in the same quarter of 2011, on the back of higher revenue from its business segments.
The company declared an interim dividend of 8 sen and proposed a final dividend of another 8 sen. This will bring full year dividends to 40 sen per share.
Carlsberg Malaysia Bhd said it posted a net profit of RM40.8 million for the fourth quarter to end-December 2012, a 7.9% increase over the corresponding quarter in 2011.
Revenue of RM336.5 million was netted for the same quarter, a 0.5% higher than the quarter in the previous year.
The company announced a single-tier final and special dividend of 58.0 sen per share. In 2011, shareholders received 51.1 sen net of tax per share.
Carlsberg said on a full year's basis, the group's net profit was RM193.8 million, up by 15.8% over 2011.
"The group's profit after tax in 2011 comprised a one-off gain from reversal of over provision of royalty expenses in prior year amounting to RM12 million. If this was excluded, the group's profit after tax would be 24.7% growth against 2011," said the statement.
LION DIVERSIFIED HOLDINGS BHD [] racked up a higher net loss of RM91.2 million for its second quarter ended Dec 31, 2012, dragged by slow demand. This was more than nine times higher than the RM9.99 million net loss it posted for the same period in 2011.
Revenue also nearly halved to RM207.35 million from RM402.62 million the year before.
Lion Diversified said: "The lower results were attributable to our direct reduced iron (DRI) operations which reported a lower production as a result of lower demand".
On prospects, the group said, "The operating environment for our steel division is expected to remain challenging in view of the uncertainties surrounding the recovery of the global economy, coupled with the volatility of raw material prices".
JT INTERNATIONAL BHD []'s (JTI) posted a year-on-year plunge of 83% to RM2.99 million for its fourth quarter ended Dec 31, from RM18.07 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, due to group restructuring.
JTI said that the restructuring of the group's leaf and stemmery operations had resulted in a one-time financial impact of RM12.2 million in current quarter.
The Geneva-based company posted higher quarterly revenue of RM290 million, up 9.4% from RM265.58 million in fourth quarter of 2011. This was due to a 7.2% increase in sales in the quarter under review.
No dividend was declared for the quarter under review.
On 2013 outlook, JTI expects the operating environment to remain challenging, due to sale of illegal cigarettes and some local brands selling below mandated minimum price.
SUPERMAX CORPORATION BHD [] posted a 22% rise in fourth-quarter profit from a year earlier as higher sales, cheaper raw material, and favourable foreign exchange rates lifted the rubber glove manufacturer's bottom line.
Supemax said it achieved a net profit of RM32.09 million in the quarter ended December 31, 2012 (4QFY12) versus RM26.35 million a year earlier. Revenue grew 19% to RM322.26 million from RM271.2 million as the manufacturer expanded its production capacity.
Cumulative one year net profit rose 17% to RM121.77 million from RM104.16 million as revenue was up 3% to RM1.05 billion from RM1.02 billion.
Supermax has proposed a tax-free final dividend of three sen a share in 4QFY12, bringing its total payout to five sen a share during the year. This compares with 4.75 sen in FY11.
Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd posted a 92.5% year-on-year rise for its net profit for its fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2012, due mainly to the sale of land in Petaling Jaya.
The group declared an interim dividend of 6 sen and a special dividend of 3 sen.
For the quarter under review, net profit stood at RM97.12 million compared to the RM50.44 million posted the year prior. Revenue on the other hand dipped 2.41% to RM294.11 million from 2011's RM301.35 million.
For the full year, The Star posted a net profit of RM208.1 million, 11.48% higher than the previous year's RM186.67 million. In the same period, revenue grew to RM1.08 billion from RM1.07 billion in 2011.
PADINI HOLDINGS BHD [] recorded a 32% year-on-year drop in net profit to RM19.4 million, from RM28.6 million, due to consumer preference for affordable range of merchandise.
For the second quarter ending Dec 31, the group's revenue came in at RM207.7 million, up from 2Q11's figure, attributed to the increased retail activity of the Christmas season.
The company declared a third single tier interim dividend of 2 sen/share.
Looking ahead, the group said the coming months could continue to be challenging.