Maybank IB Flyer

1. Guan Chong Berhad (GUANCHG)

Guan Chong Berhad, Malaysia’s largest cocoa processor, has commissioned its cocoa grinding plant in Batam, Indonesia, which is expected to improve earnings significantly. The plant boasts of an initial annual grinding capacity of 60,000 tonnes, increasing the group’s total production by 75 per cent to 140,000 tonnes a year. This makes Guan Chong one of the largest cocoa processors in Asia.

2. Subur Tiasa Holdings Berhad (SUBUR)

Subur is a Malaysia-based company engaged in extraction and sale of logs and manufacturing of sawn timber. The Company, along with its subsidiaries, operates in three segments: logs trading, which includes the extraction and sale of logs; manufacturing, which includes the manufacturing and trading of plywood, veneer, raw and laminated particleboard, sawn timber, finger joint molding and supply of electricity, and others, which includes tree planting (reforestation) and oil palm plantation, sales of grocery, provision of towage and transportation services, property holding and development.

Subur Tiasa Holding Berhad’ pre-tax profit for the second quarter ended Jan 31, 2011 fell to RM7.53 million from RM8.32 million in the same quarter of 2010. It revenue fell to RM183.29 million from RM184.25 million previously.

The group said the slight decrease in revenue was mainly due to weakening of US dollar against the ringgit as the group’s export proceeds were denominated in US dollar. The group expected the operating performance for the remaining quarter to be satisfactory. With the tsunami and earthquake in Japan recently, there were some movements on listed wood-based companies on Bursa Malaysia and Subur might be one of the companies that could benefit from Japan's woes. (Bernama News, March 23, 2011)