Stocks to watch: Gamuda, Boustead, GDex, TDM

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 17): Regional markets including Bursa Malaysia are expected to see cautious trade in the week ahead, starting Dec 19 with volume continuing to thin during the holiday season while investors’ sentiment is expected to be dampened by the eurozone debt crisis.

On Wall Street, a rally in stocks fizzled, leaving major indexes with modest gains on Friday, as Wall Street was torn between hope that U.S. economic data signals better times ahead and fear Europe's debt crisis will engulf world economies, Reuters reported.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 2.42 points, or 0.02%, at 11,866.39. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 3.91 points, or 0.32%, at 1,219.66. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 14.32 points, or 0.56%, at 2,555.33.

Meanwhile, credit rating agency Fitch told euro zone countries it believed a comprehensive solution to their debt crisis was beyond reach, putting six euro zone economies including Italy on watch for potential downgrades in the near future,

At Bursa Malaysia, stocks to watch include GAMUDA BHD [], BOUSTEAD HOLDINGS BHD [], GD EXPRESS CARRIER BHD [] (GDex), TDM BHD [] and Top Glove Corp Bhd.

Gamuda is upbeat about the outlook for its prospects for the remaining financial year after its earnings climbed 49.5% to RM132.32 million in the first quarter ended Oct 31, 2011, from RM88.53 million a year ago due to higher contributions from all divisions.

The infrastructure-based company expected a stronger performance this year supported by its ongoing CONSTRUCTION [] projects, continued strong property sales and steady earnings from the water and expressway divisions.

Boustead’s subsidiary Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn. Bhd has received the letter of award from the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) to supply six patrol vessels with a contract ceiling of RM9 billion.

The Edge weekly reported in its latest issue that GDex is bolstering its position to fight competition. The local express delivery provider is drawing up strategic plans on multiple fronts to deal with the increasing competition and gloomy economic outlook for 2012.

The Edge also reported that the rehabilitation of estates is paying off for TDM. It has been an exceptional year for the PLANTATION [] company as its net profit for the first nine months of FY2011 already exceeds that of any full year in the past.

Top Glove’s earnings fell 12.81% to RM31.43 million in the first quarter ended Nov 30, 2011 from the RM6.05 million a year ago impacted by higher raw material prices and the oversupply in the industry

However, the world’s largest glove maker performed better when compared with the preceding quarter in terms of revenue and earnings. It revenue rose 2.4% to RM554.84 million from RM541.84 million in the preceding quarter, while net profit increased 21.5% to RM32.46 million from RM26.82 million.

Commenting on the results, CIMB Equities Research said Top Glove’s 20.5% on -quarter rise in net profit, though strong, was expected.

“It came primarily from cost deflation as demand remained weak and industry overcapacity is still an issue. At 23.2% of our forecast and 20.2% of consensus, 1Q results were broadly in line as we expect stronger quarters ahead. We maintain our Underperform rating and target price, still based on 13.05 times price-to-earnings,” it said.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: Coastal Contracts , Sanichi, Dialog, JCY

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 16): Regional markets including Bursa Malaysia could trade on a cautious note on Friday as investors’ risk appetite for equities would be restrained by worries about the global economy and Europe's debt crisis.

Reuters reported major Southeast Asian stock markets fell on Thursday, extending the decline for the third day, led by banks and commodities as a decline in Chinese factory output added to worries about the global economy and Europe's debt crisis.

Concern over the situation in the euro zone rose after Fitch Ratings downgraded five big European banks on Wednesday.

At Bursa Malaysia, stocks which could see trading interest include COASTAL CONTRACTS BHD [], SANICHI TECHNOLOGY [] BHD [], DIALOG GROUP BHD [] and hard-disk drive manufacturer JCY International Bhd.

Coastal Contracts’s year-to-date order wins rose to RM690 million after the company secured new contracts worth RM233 million for the sale of three offshore support vessels, two landing crafts and two barges.

“With this latest batch of contracts, the value of Coastal Group’s secured vessel sales orders currently stood at about RM610 million, with deliveries through 2012,” it said.

Sanichi, whose shares inched up in very active trade on Thursday, could see continued trading action. It received a letter of intent from China’s Guangxi Huayin to purchase 150,000 tonnes of steam coal per month, totaling 1.80 million tonnes for a one-year period.

Sanichi said Guangxi Huayin is one of the largest and most advanced aluminium producers in China and the shareholders include the Aluminium Corporation of China with a 33% stake.

Meanwhile Dialog Group Bhd, which is undertaking a cash call to raise funds for more investments in the upstream oil and gas opportunities, has fixed the rights shares at RM1.20 each and the exercise price of the warrants at RM2.40 each.

The issue price would be a discount of about 46% to the theoretical ex-rights price of RM2.23 per share, based on the five-day volume-weighted average market price (VWAMP)up to Dec 14 of RM2.43.

As for the warrants, it said the exercise price was 8% above the theoretical ex-rights price of RM2.23 per share, based on the five-day VWAMP up to Dec 14 of RM2.43.

JCY could see continued trading interest as it was not impacted by the severe floods in Thailand unlike other hard-disk drive manufacturers which had major operations in Thailand.

CIMB Equities Research said believed a full restoration to pre-flood production was at least six to nine months away, but suppliers with strong balance sheets to invest could benefit from greater allocations in the near term.

“Improvements in average selling prices (ASP) for drive makers should also be positive for the industry,” it said. It advised investors to be selective as it believed volume would remain hindered by component shortages.

“Buy JCY as we expect strong near-term earnings on higher ASPs and allocations,” it said.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: S P Setia, Kencana, Boustead, Benalec

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 9): The FBM KLCI could trade in a tight range on Friday, as the focus turns on the economic data from China over the next two days as well as the crucial summit of European policymakers.

Global markets, however, could edge upwards as the European Central Bank cut interest rates by a quarter of a point on Thursday to counter the twin threats of recession and deflation in the euro zone.

The ECB is also expected to unveil fresh measures to help banks hurt by the bloc's debt crisis, according to Reuters.

At Bursa Malaysia, the market could be given a boost from the slew of fresh corporate announcements.

Among the stocks are S P Setia Bhd, KENCANA PETROLEUM BHD [], BOUSTEAD HOLDINGS BHD [], Benalec Holdings, Bumi Armada Bhd and MELEWAR INDUSTRIAL GROUP BHD [].

S P Setia Bhd set a set a new full-year sales record in FY 2011 of RM3.29 billion, or a 42% increase from the previous record of RM2.31 billion set in FY 2010. The company has also set a target to achieve total new sales of RM4 billion in FY 2012.

For the financial year ended Oct 31, S P Setia’s net profit rose 30.2% to RM327.97 million from RM251.81 million, on the back of an increase in revenue to RM2.23 billion from RM1.75 billion in 2010.

However, the offer price cap set by Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) in its takeover bid could restrain any upside. PNB offered RM3.90 per share and 91 sen per warrant.

Kencana’s unit, Kencana HL Sdn Bhd, secured a RM1 billion contract from Bechtel International Inc to fabricate and assemble a liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing plant in Australia.

The contract includes fabrication to loading of process equipment modules for Wheatstone Project LNG plant at Ashburton North, Western Australia.

Boustead subsidiary, Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd secured a RM62 million job from the government to supply spare parts, maintenance, integrated logistic support and training for the 17th patrol vessel squadron of the Malaysian navy.

Benalec inked a MoU with Singapore-based Rotary Engineering Ltd to jointly develop an independent deepwater storage terminal for oil products in Tanjung Piai, Johor. The MoU would enable it to become a strategic business partner with Rotary in the equity ownership and development of the terminal in Tanjung Piai.

Bumi Armada's subsidiary Armada TGT Ltd has inked a US$341.1 million (RM 1.08 billion) loan with seven financial institutions to fund the conversion and installation of the FPSO Armada TGT 1 to be used in the Te Giac Tran Field, offshore Vietnam.

Its chief financial officer Shaharul Rezza Hassan said the facility was for seven years and represented about 80% of its capex value.

Meanwhile, Melewar’s unit Melewar Integrated Engineering Sdn Bhd (MIE) has inked an MoU with KAZMY Steel Company wherein MIE would be the contractor to design and build the MycroSmelt plant in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: Glomac, Mah Sing, Tan Chong, Fibon

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 3): The FBM KLCI may trend higher and again test the psychologically important 1,500 level in the week ahead, starting Monday, Dec 5 on more global liquidity and economic optimism.

On Friday, Dec 2, the FBM KLCI closed in positive territory as some key regional markets reversed their earlier losses, but gains at the local market remained muted as investor sentiment stayed cautious.

Week-on-week, the KLCI was up 57.45 points to end at 1,489 with the market capitalisation up RM39.59 billion to RM1,269.59 billion.

Affin Investment Bank head of retail research Dr Nazri Khan said the sentiment could be propped by the coordinated move by central banks including China and Brazil to ease monetary policies.

Another positive factor is the rising expectation of an aggressive cut in the ECB interest rate and stronger EU deal to resolve the debt crisis.

“However, despite the gains spotted worldwide, we recommended caution since the liquidity move is yet to address the core problems that Europe faces which is to provide a long-term sustainable funding solution to the troubled European banking community,” he said.

Dr Nazri expected the broad market to trend higher slowly as they digest more clarity on the EU plan to deal the problems (possibly disclosed in the upcoming Dec 9, EU summit).

“These may includes details on how to enforce budget balancing for troubled countries, how to implement tough austerity measures especially for Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain, how to leverage the rescue funds and how to strengthen the ECB to backstop future crisis,” he pointed out.

Among the stocks which could see trading interest are GLOMAC BHD [], MAH SING GROUP BHD [], TAN CHONG MOTOR HOLDINGS BHD [] and Fibon Bhd.

Glomac's net profit for the second quarter ended Oct 31, 2011 rose 50pct to RM23.78 million from RM15.88 million a year ago, underpinned by on-going projects particularly Glomac Damansara, Glomac Cyberjaya, Saujana Rawang and Bandar Saujana Utama.

Its revenue for the quarter however declined 4.3pct to RM134.83 million from RM140.89 million, due to completion of two projects namely Glomac Tower and Glomac Galleria.

Mah Sing's proposed joint development of 4.08 acres of prime land along Jalan Tun Razak-Jalan Pahang faced a setback after the conditions were not met.

However, Mah Sing said it would explore options to move ahead on this. The project is a niche development – M Sentral -- with an estimated gross development value of RM900 million and it is part of the RM9-billion 58 acre riverside urban regeneration project.

The Edge weekly reports that Tan Chong Motor Holdings Bhd, which invested nearly US$45 million in Nissan Vietnam Co Ltd since acquiring a controlling stake in the company last year, is optimistic that it will reach break-even earlier than anticipated.

Meanwhile, Fibon – a chemical compounds producer -- is poised to enter a new phase of growth with the upcoming launch of its new switchboard Fibon LogiCube.

Anther company which could see trading interest are sports shoe sole manufacturer Xingquan International Sports Holdings Ltd. Its chief executive officer Wu Qingquan is confident that it can maintain its double digit growth in revenue for the financial year ending June 2012, said. The compound annual growth rate from 2006 to 2011 was 39%.

Last Friday, MMC CORPORATION BHD []'s Tanjung Bin Energy Sdn Bhd has sealed a power purchase agreement with TENAGA NASIONAL BHD [] to supply electricity over 25 years. However, the price of electricity which Tanjung Bin would sell to Tenaga was not disclosed in the statement to Bursa Malaysia.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: Maxis, Axiata, E&O, Tanjung, PJI

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 1): After the flurry of corporate results for the quarter ended Sept 30, 2011, stocks which could see trading interest on Thursday include Maxis Bhd, Axiata Group Bhd and Eastern & Oriental Bhd (E&O).

Other companies which could also come under focus following fresh contracts are PJI HOLDINGS BHD [], TANJUNG OFFSHORE BHD [] and MALAYSIAN RESOURCES CORP []oration Bhd (MRCB).

Maxis’ earnings fell 10.6% to RM537 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30 from RM610 million a year ago on higher administrative expenses and network operation costs. Revenue was 1.3% higher at RM2.244 billion from RM2.216 billion a year ago, while earnings per share were 7.2 sen compared with 8.0 sen. It declared a third interim single-tier tax exempt dividend of 8.0 sen per share.

Meanwhile, Axiata’s earnings fell 7.7% to RM589.62 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 from RM639.12 million a year ago on foreign exchange translation losses and higher costs. Net foreign exchange losses surged to RM43.91 million compared with gains on financing activities of RM71.96 million a year ago.

E&O saw its earnings surge 172% to RM13.83 million from RM5.08 million a year ago. Its revenue increased by 25.5% to RM82.60 million from RM65.81 million while earnings per share were 1.27 sen compared with 0.48 sen.

Tanjung Offshore’s subsidiary, Tanjung Maintenance Services Sdn Bhd has secured a RM43 million contract from Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd. The contract was to provide maintenance services for mechanical rotating equipment at all offshore platforms operated by Petronas Carigali in the Sarawak operations region .

PJI Holdings Bhd’s unit has secured two contracts worth RM59.64 million at the KLIA2 involving the low voltage system for several locations at the KLIA2.

Its unit P.J. Indah Sdn Bhd had accepted the letter of award from BINA PURI HOLDINGS BHD [] to formalise the sub-contract valued at RM25.16 million.

P.J. Indah had also accepted a RM34.64 million contract from UEM CONSTRUCTION [] Sdn Bhd for the design, supply and maintenance of the low voltage system, uninterruptible power supply and lightning protection system at KLIA2.

MRCB has secured a RM40.3 million contract to carry out coastal protection works at the Sungai Perai river mouth. MRCB said it had received the letter of award from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage for the third phase of the project.

FABER GROUP BHD [] posted net losses of RM26.87 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 compared with net profit of RM29.01 million a year ago. The losses were mainly due to the recognition of costs amounting to RM44.5 million for works completed for the projects in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where the corresponding revenue was not recognised as it could not be measured reliably.

KUB MALAYSIA BHD [] posted net loss of RM12.86 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, a vast contrast from the net profit of RM2.49 million a year ago. KUB had undertaken impairment assessments on its assets of underperforming subsidiaries and decided to provide impairment losses of RM14.70 million.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: IOI Corp, MEGB, Affin, Benalec, Texchem

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 19): Sentiment is expected to stay cautious in the week ahead as investors worry about whether the governments in Europe and the US could resolve the growing debt problems.

Reuters said a major question has been whether the European Central Bank will find a way to act as a lender of last resort in the manner of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Speculation has grown the ECB could lend money to the International Monetary Fund to bail out some euro zone members.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 25.43 points, or 0.22%, to 11,796.16. The S&P 500 dipped 0.48 point, or 0.04%, to 1,215.65. The Nasdaq Composite lost 15.49 points, or 0.60%, to 2,572.50. However, for the week, the Dow fell 2.9%, the S&P dropped 3.8% and the Nasdaq lost 4%.

As for Malaysia, while third quarter GDP expanded at a stronger pace of 5.8% on-year from a revised 4.3% in the second quarter, there were gnawing concerns about the headwinds in the fourth quarter and 2012.

RHB Research Institute said it tweaked its real GDP growth estimate for 2011 upwards to 5% from 4.5%.

“However, we are keeping our 2012 forecast unchanged and expect the economic growth to weaken to 3.6%, given that Eurozone’s sovereign debt crisis is still lingering and risk of it worsening remains high, and on the back of a slow US economic growth,” it said.

Stocks to watch on Monday include IOI CORPORATION BHD [], Masterskill Education Group Bhd (MEGB), AFFIN HOLDINGS BHD [], Benalec Holdings Bhd and TEXCHEM RESOURCES BHD [].

IOI’s net profit for the first quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 fell 48.2% to RM258.09 million from RM498.13 million a year ago, due mainly to unrealised translation loss on foreign currency denominated borrowings of RM271.7million. The loss was higher than analysts’ estimates. The PLANTATION [] company’s revenue for the quarter rose 17.9% to RM4.15 billion from RM3.52 billion a year ago.

Meanwhile, MEGB’s net profit for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 fell 78.8% to RM5.55 million from RM26.18 million a year ago. It attributed the poorer financial performance mainly to lower student enrolment and higher overheads. MEGB’s revenue for the quarter fell to RM61.19 million from RM80.68 million in 2010.

For the nine months ended Sept 30, MEGB’s net profit fell 47.2% to RM39.72 million from RM75.29 million in 2010, while its revenue fell 14.5% to RM200.67 million from RM234.83 million.

However, Affin reported an improvement in its earnings, which rose 17.5% to RM135.19 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 from RM115.01 million a year ago, boosted by higher write-backs and higher Islamic banking income.

Its revenue increased 13.7% to RM680.12 million from RM597.82 million a year ago while earnings per share were 9.05 sen compared with 7.70 sen. It declared an interim dividend of 12 sen a share.

The Edge weekly reported that Benalec’s recent foray into land reclamation works at the oil and gas hub in Johor has raised some eyebrows. But if all goes well, the project will boost the total outstanding gross development value of its projects from about RM1.5 billion to over RM15 billion, said the report.

Another company to watch is Texchem on expectations it may unlocking value of some of its assets.

RAM Rating Services Bhd said the corporate exercise by Texchem would generate significant net cash inflows that will help to considerably strengthen its balance sheet and liquidity position.

However, the ratings agency was also concerned about its financial health. It downgraded the long-term rating of Texchem’s RM100 million debt notes from A3 to BBB1 with a negative outlook on rising concerns about the company's weakening financial performance.

RAM Ratings said the downgrading of Texchem’s long-term rating was based on its weakened business and financial performance.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: Dialog, Malton, Tanjung Offshore, AMMB

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 17): Stocks which could see trading interest on Thursday include DIALOG GROUP BHD [], MALTON BHD [], TANJUNG OFFSHORE BHD [], AMMB HOLDINGS BHD [], Amway (Malaysia) Holdings Bhd and ALLIANCE FINANCIAL GROUP BHD [] (AFG) following the release of their financial results for the quarter ended Sept 30.

Dialog posted net profit of RM44.54 million in the first quarter ended Sept 30, 2011, an increase of 34.6% from the RM33.09 million a year, underpinned by a strong increase in revenue, mainly from its New Zealand operations. Its revenue rose 35% to RM355.24 million from RM263.81 million while earnings per share were 2.26 sen compared with 1.69 sen.

Malton’s earnings jumped 118% to RM12.11 million in the first quarter ended Sept 30 from RM5.54 million a year ago, boosted by an improvement in the property development division from a year ago.

Revenue rose 44.3% to RM99.27 million from RM68.78 million while earnings per share were 2.90 sen versus 1.59 sen. Malton said pre-tax profit improved by 111.4% to RM16.7 million from RM7.9 million.

However, Malton's financial performance was slightly weaker compared with the immediate preceding quarter. Revenue declined from the preceding quarter’s RM167.9 million.

Tanjung Offshore Bhd swung into the red with net losses of RM429,000 in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 compared with net profit of RM807,000 a year ago. Its revenue fell 14.3% to RM117.64 million from RM137.25 million a year ago. Loss per share was 0.15 sen compared with earnings per share of 0.29 sen.

For the nine months ended Sept 30, its net profit fell 51.9% to RM3.42 million from RM7.12 million a year ago while revenue was marginally lower at RM401.33 million compared with RM401.95 million. Tanjung Offshore had borrowings totaling RM560.53 million.

AMMB Holdings Bhd’s earnings rose 10.9% to RM369.47 million in the second quarter ended Sept 30,2011 from RM332.87 million a year ago, boosted by the group’s retail banking operations. Its revenue increased by 20.5% to RM2.138 billion from RM1.773 billion while earnings per share were 12.35 sen versus 11.08 sen. It declared a single tier dividend of 6.6% per share.

For the first half, its earnings increased by 15.6% to RM810.99 million while its revenue increased 17.6% to RM4.092 billion from RM3.477 billion.

Amway’s net profit rose 19.8% to RM25.77 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 from RM21.51 million a year ago as it benefited from higher sales and improved gross margins due to the favourable foreign exchange impact. Its revenue rose at a slower pace of 5.4% to RM211.52 million from RM191.50 million while earnings per share were 15.68 sen compared with 13.08 sen.

Amway declared a third interim single tier dividend of 9.0 sen net per share and special interim single tier dividend of 30.0 sen net per share for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2011.

AFG reported a strong set of financial results for the second quarter ended Sept 30, 2011, with earnings up 18.2% to RM120.95 million from RM102.27 million a year ago. Revenue increased by 5.9% to RM314.60 million from RM296.98 million. Earnings per share were 7.9 sen compared with 6.7 sen.

For the first half, AFG's earnings rose 8.2% to RM250.51 million from RM213 million while its revenue increased 8.9% to RM624.37 million from RM573.20 million.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: Harvest Court, CIMB, BHIC, Wah Seong

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 15): HARVEST COURT INDUSTRIES BHD [] could be in focus on Wednesday, Nov 16 when it resumes trading after Bursa Malaysia Securities declared the securities as designated counters until further notice.

This was the sternest warning to speculators who had chased up the stock in recent weeks as the regulator also issued unusual market activity queries to other penny stocks.

Bursa Securities’ decision to designate the securities of Harvest and the warrants due to excessive speculation observed in the trading of both securities and has been taken in the interest of ensuring a fair and orderly market.

In a separate statement, Harvest Court told Bursa Malaysia that its unit will enter into a related party transaction with 1Green Enviro Sdn Bhd for a RM70 million contract to build a pulp and paper plant in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan.

Other stocks to watch are CIMB Group Holdings Bhd, BOUSTEAD HEAVY INDUSTRIES CORP []oration Bhd (BHIC), WAH SEONG CORPORATION BHD [], Prestariang Bhd, Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd, OSK HOLDINGS BHD [] and SOUTHERN STEEL BHD [].

CIMB Group’s net profit rose 10.5pct year-on-year to RM1.012 billion in the third quarter ended Sept 30 from RM916 million a year ago. The net profit for the nine months ended Sept 30, 2011 rose 9.6% year-on-year to a record RM2.898 billion.

Its group chief executive Datuk Seri Nazir Razak said the 3Q earnings were underpinned by the continued improvement at its Malaysian consumer banking operations and rebound in treasury and investments.

Wah Seong Corporation Bhd net profit for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 surged to RM21.29 million from RM12.49 million a year earlier, due mainly to a higher contribution from the oil and gas division.

Its revenue for the quarter rose to RM478.84 million from RM346.76 million in 2010. Earnings per share rose to 2.80 sen from 1.64 sen, while net assets per share was RM1.31.

For the nine months ended Sept 30, Wah Seong’s net profit jumped to RM90.85 million from RM31.21 million in 2010, on the back of revenue RM1.37 billion.

Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Bhd posted net loss RM2.43 million for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 compared to net profit RM26.9 million a year earlier, due mainly to cost overruns in certain commercial shipbuilding projects.

Its revenue for the quarter fell to RM150.02 million from RM227.71 million in 2010. Loss per share was 0.98 sen compared to earnings per share 10.83 sen a year ago.

For the nine months ended Sept 30, BHIC’s net profit fell to RM9.04 million from RM58.37 million, on the back of revenue RM387.47 million.

Prestariang Bhd posted net profit of RM10.07 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011, underpinned by its information and communications TECHNOLOGY [] (ICT) training and certification schemes.

Its revenue was RM33.13 million and earnings per share 4.69 sen. It declared an interim single-tier dividend of 4.0 sen per share

Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd’s earnings rose 77% to RM23.60 million from RM13.32 million a year ago boosted by lower operating costs, higher sales and favourable sales mix.

It said on Tuesday revenue increased by 9.85% to RM201.71 million from RM183.62 million while earnings per share were 36.87 sen compared with 20.82 sen. It declared a dividend of 35 sen per share.

OSK Holdings Bhd reported a 14.2% decline in net profit to RM28.81 million for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 from RM33.60 million a year ago as it included RM5.63 million allowance for impairment losses on investments.

Its revenue rose 13.1% to RM288.78 million from RM255.35 million and earnings per share were 3.07 sen compared with 3.58 sen.

Southern Steel Bhd posted net profit of RM16.05 million for the first quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 on the back of RM734 million in revenue and expected a satisfactory performance in the current financial year.

Pre-tax profit was RM17.30 million while earnings per share were 3.8 sen and it declared an interim dividend of 5.0 sen per share

Read more...

Stocks to watch: Maybank, Malton, SYF, DPS, Flonic

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 15): The FBM KLCI may come under some pressure to sustain its gains on Tuesday as the uncertainties in Europe pulled European shares lower in early trade.

The appointments of technocratic leaders in euro zone debt hot spots Italy and Greece failed to assuage fears about the euro zone crisis on Monday, sending stocks and the euro lower, according to Reuters.

Strategists at The Royal Bank of Scotland in a note Monday, Nov 14 said the outlook for the Euro-zone still remained bleak, amid increased signs that periphery troubles were spreading to the core, as evidenced by rising French yields.

“Little progress has also been made in implementing the measures announced at the recent EU summit, while the growth outlook continues to deteriorate. French, Austrian and Belgian sovereign yields are likely to begin to warrant increased attention,” they said.

On Bursa Malaysia, stocks with fresh corporate developments and could be in focus include MALAYAN BANKING BHD [], MALTON BHD [] and SYF Resources.

Maybank’s net profit for the three months ended Sept 30, 2011 rose 25.1% to RM1.286 billion from RM1.028 billion a year earlier, while its revenue for the quarter rose to RM6.07 billion from RM5 billion in 2010. Earnings per share were 17.20 sen compared to 14.53 sen in 2010, while net asset per share was RM4.41.

On its outlook, Maybank said the loans growth in Malaysia was expected to be mainly driven by the rollout of the Economic Transformation Programme projects and domestic consumption.

Meanwhile, Malton is acquiring 56.05 acres in Ulu Kelang for RM105 million for a residential project with an estimated gross development value of RM500 million.

Malton’s unit Gapadu Harta Sdn Bhd had entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Ukay Spring Development Sdn Bhd to acquire the land. The proposed development would comprise residential bungalows, semi-detached houses, medium cost apartments, low medium cost apartments and low cost apartments.

SYF Resources is in the final stage of negotiation to develop PROPERTIES [] on a joint venture (JV) basis, which it said may have accounted for the unusual market activity (UMA) involving its securities on Monday. The company had in a reply to an UMA query from Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd said the landowners it was in talks with were mainly related parties.

It said on Nov 14 that details of the JV would be released immediately upon conclusion of the negotiations and the execution of the JV agreement.

Other stocks that could be in focus include DPS RESOURCES BHD [] and FLONIC HI-TEC BHD [] that were also queried by Bursa Malaysia over the sharp price increase in the companies’ respective shares and high trading volume.

Read more...

Stocks to watch Dijaya, Ivory, Kimlun, KPJ, oil and gas-related counters

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 12): The FBM KLCI is expected to trend moderately higher on Monday, Nov 14 in line with the positive close at Wall Street last Friday.

Also, the statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Nov 11 that the general election would not be held this year put an end to weeks of speculation, and created what some analysts have described as offering some clarity to a nervy local market.

US stocks rose on Friday, ending higher for the week after the Italian Senate's approval of economic reforms gave investors some relief from worries about the euro zone's debt crisis.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 2.19% to 12,153.68; the Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 1.95% to 1,263.85, while the Nasdaq Composite Index added 2.04% to 2,678.75.

Affin Investment Bank Bhd head of retail research Dr Mohd Nazri Khan said Najib’s statement was to be taken as positive for the market, as it provides for more clarity and less volatility.

“Sometimes election can heighten market fluctuation as was seen in the run-up to the Sarawak state election in April this year,” he said.

Meanwhile, MIDF Research head Zulkifli Hamzah said the market was expected to remain edgy next week, on developments in Europe, especially pertaining to the Italian government’s bond auction on Monday.

Volatility had spiked up recently and the consensus was that global equity markets remain vulnerable to sharp selloff, he said.

He said Malaysia’s 3Q11 GDP growth, which was slated to be unveiled on Nov 18 was not expected to be a game-changing announcement.

“Our house view is that growth may hit 5% year-on-year, which would be keeping pace with regional economies,” he said.

Zulkifli said the local equity market was currently in a period of uneasy equilibrium, but added that foreign investors appear to be keeping faith in the Malaysian market and had been gradually accumulating since early October.

“There were net buyers again this week. Yet, local investors are circumspect of the fact that remains a large overhang of foreign liquidity in the system that can decide to eject overnight,” he said.

Among the stocks that could be in focus on Monday are DIJAYA CORPORATION BHD [], Ivory PROPERTIES [] Group Bhd, Kimlun Corporation Bhd, KPJ HEALTHCARE BHD [] and oil and gas-related counters.

Dijaya and Ivory inked a joint venture agreement to develop mixed residential and commercial properties in Penang with a gross development value of RM10 billion.

The two companies said the development will be completed over the next eight years and would comprise of residential, shopping mall, hotel, office suites, office towers, retail spaces and an open mall with a boulevard.

CONSTRUCTION [] of the first phase is scheduled to begin next year, they said last Friday.

Kimlun secured a contract worth RM68 million to build a service apartment in Iskandar Malaysia in Johor.

It said last week that its wholly-owned subsidiary Kimlun Sdn Bhd had accepted the letter of award for the contract from Grand Action Sdn Bhd.

KPJ is buying four plots of land in the district of Klang, Selangor for RM23.76 million cash as part of its plans to build a specialist hospital.

KPJ on Friday said the four plots of land were situated within a mixed development undertaken by Sazean known as “Sazean Business Park”, and that Sazean would make an application to convert the category of the lands it was buying from agricultural to building/commercial.

Meanwhile, Petroliam Nasional Bhd and Shell Malaysia last week inked heads of agreement (HOA) for new enhanced oil recovery projects offshore Sabah and Sarawak, a development which may boost the oil and gas support services-related counters.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: Hartalega, Sanichi, Cypark, GuocoLand

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 8): Stocks which could see trading interest on Wednesday, Oct 9 include Harlatega Holdings Bhd, SANICHI TECHNOLOGY [] BHD [], CypARK RESOURCES BHD [] and GUOCOLAND (MALAYSIA) BHD [] (GLM).

Harlatega reported its earnings fell 2% to RM46.13 million in the second quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 from RM47.01 million a year ago as it was impacted by high raw material prices.

However, it is cautious about the outlook following the sharp increase in nitrile material price and recent high volatility of US dollar.

Its revenue rose 24.5% to RM229.54 million from RM184.31 million. At the profit before tax level, it dipped 2.4% to RM59.55 million from RM61.02 million. Earnings per share were 12.68 sen compared with 12.96 sen. It declared an interim dividend of 6.0 sen per share.

Sanichi resumes trading on Wednesday after it announced that German-based Projektarbelt Technische Beratung Venretung International (Protev) has completed its first phase of due diligence of the company and the second phase in early 2012.

However, as there were no significant updates, interest could decline in the company. The company was earlier queried by Bursa Malaysia Securities over the unusual market activity in the trading of its shares.

In Cypark, executive vice chairman Siow Kwang Khee disposed of 3.97 million shares on Nov 3.

Following the disposal of the shares, his direct stake was reduced to 10.50 million shares or 7.24%.

GuocoLand has proposed to acquire PJ City Development Sdn Bhd for a cash consideration of RM29.78 million from GuoLine Asset Sdn Bhd.

PJ City’s core business is property development and property investment activities. Based on its audited financial statements for FY ended June 30, 2011, PJ City recorded profit after tax of RM4.75 million while its net assets were RM38.61 million.

PJ City also owns two parcels of land in Section 32 in Petaling, Selangor. GLM said after the completion of the proposed acquisition, it intends to develop commercial office buildings and corporate factories on the land.

COMPLETE LOGISTIC SERVICES BHD [] (CLSB) has proposed to acquire the remaining 40% stake in its subsidiary Guper Integrated Logistics Sdn Bhd for RM13.60 million cash.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: Melati Ehsan , F&N, MSC, Nestle

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 6): Malaysian stocks will have to take their cue from regional and Wall Street when trading resumes on Tuesday, Oct 8.

Investors will have to prepare for the crisis as the chaos in Europe is far from over. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou won a parliamentary confidence vote early Saturday, which helped the cash-strapped country avoid snap elections that would have destroyed its bailout deal and turned up the flames on the euro zone's economic crisis.

Stocks to watch on Tuesday include MELATI EHSAN HOLDINGS BHD [], Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (FNHB), MALAYSIA SMELTING CORPORATION [] Bhd and Nestle (Malaysia) Bhd following the corporate results last Friday.

Melati Ehsan unit Pembinaan Kery Sdn Bhd has accepted two contracts from the Housing and Local Government to undertake two housing projects worth RM298 million in Kuala Lumpur.

Fraser & Neave posted net profit of RM66.21 million in the fourth quarter ended Sept 30, 2011, down 85.7% from the RM462.31 million a year ago where there was a gain of RM382.03 million after selling its glass container business.

It proposed a final single tier dividend of 47 sen per share together with a special single tier dividend of 15 sen.

For the financial year ended Sept 30, its net profit was RM383.13 million, down 44.8% from RM695.29 million a year ago including the RM382 million gain on divestment of the glass business. Its revenue rose 7.6% to RM3.915 billion from RM3.637 billion.

MSC posted net profit of RM41.81 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 compared with net loss of RM37.05 million a year ago where there was an impairment provision for goodwill of RM73.63 million.

Revenue increased by 25.9% to RM907.04 million from RM719.96 million. Earnings per share were 41.80 sen compared with loss per share of 49.40 sen.

Nestle posted net profit of RM110 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 marginally lower from the RM113.18 million a year ago as profit margins were affected by higher prices of key raw materials.

Its operating profit was RM143.16 million, up 3.8% from RM137.83 million. Revenue rose 18.2% to RM1.171 billion from RM991.07 million, boosted by strong domestic and exports sales.

For the nine-month period, its earnings rose 4.8% to RM369.23 million from RM352.14 million. Its revenue increased by 14.6% to RM3.51 billion from RM3.06 billion driven by both domestic and export sales.

Meanwhile, The Edge weekly said there is little to indicate how Proton Holdings' recent MoU with Hawtai Motor Group will impact the national carmaker, especially since the outcome of its 2007 tie-up with Youngman Automobile Group remains uncertain.

As for GHL SYSTEMS BHD [], the group is looking to turn around its fortunes by banking on its strategic solutions business to drive future growth.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: MBSB, Ireka, Maybank, Chin Teck, Jerneh Asia

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 31): The string of positive corporate news is expected to underpin market sentiment on Tuesday, Nov 1 after the FBM KLCI ended October on a strong note.

Among the stocks to watch are MALAYSIA BUILDING SOCIETY BHD [] (MBSB), IREKA CORPORATION BHD [], CHIN TECK PLANTATION []S BHD [], MALAYAN BANKING BHD [], JERNEH ASIA BHD [] and AutoV Corporation Bhd

MBSB posted a 134% increase in its earnings to RM95.08 million for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 from RM40.51 million a year ago.

Its revenue increased by 72% to RM372.67 million from RM215.77 million while earnings per share were 10.88 sen compared with 5.79 sen.

Ireka’s unit has secured a RM85.14 million contract for the proposed City International Hospital project in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from Hoa Lam-Shangri-La 1 Ltd Liability Company.

Chin Teck Plantations Bhd’s earnings surged 90.8% to RM21.84 million in the fourth quarter ended Aug 31, 2011 from RM11.45 million a year ago, boosted by the increase in average selling prices of fresh fruit bunches (FFB), crude palm (CPO) and palm kernel despite lower production.

Its revenue rose 31.4% to RM38.37 million from RM29.20 million a year ago while earnings per share were 23.91 sen compared with 12.53 sen.

For the financial year ended Aug 31, its earnings rose 62.1% to RM76.01 million from RM46.88 million. Revenue rose at a slower pace of 28.6% to RM143.34 million from RM111.44 million.

Malayan Banking Bhd’s PT Bank Internasional Indonesia Tbk (BII) reported consolidated net profit of Rp555 billion (RM193.04 million) for the January-September period, up 34% from Rp415 billion a year ago.

BII said “the increase was achieved on the back of solid growth across the Bank’s core businesses as well as from its overall operational improvements”.

It recorded a 22% consolidated loan growth from Rp50.8 trillion in September 2010 to Rp61.9 trillion in September 2011, underpinned by small and medium enterprises (SME) and commercial loans.

Jerneh Asia Bhd has received a notice of voluntary conditional take-over offer from Kuok Brothers Sdn Bhd to acquire the remaining 58.19% stake which it does not own for cash consideration of RM1.45 per share and 45 sen per warrant.

Kuok Brothers and the parties acting in concert directly hold 102.02 million shares or 41.81% of Jerneh Asia.

At RM1.45, this is nine sen above Monday’s close of RM1.36 while the warrants ended at 40 sen.

Automotive components manufacturer AutoV Corporation expects its turnover to increase by 60% next year with the acquisition of Proreka (M) Sdn Bhd.

Bernama reported executive chairman Bernard Kong as saying the company was also in the midst of merging with two other listed companies to form a bigger group. “Financially we will be much stronger to support our businesses. We also can support our clients better," he said.

Kong said the merger with AIC CORPORATION BHD [] and Jotech Holdings, expected to be completed "sometime in March next year", would transform the company into an integrated manufacturing group dealing in automotive as well as electronics products.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: Tenaga, Envair, SILK, MFM

KUALA LUMPUR: TENAGA NASIONAL BHD [] could be in focus on Monday, Oct 31 after it announced fourth quarter net loss of RM453.90 million, the second consecutive quarter of losses, last Friday, and expected the current financial year to be very challenging.

At the operating level, the power company reported operating losses of RM248.80 million due to higher fuel costs of coal and utilisation of oil and distillates after the gas curtailment by Petroliam Nasional Bhd.

Though investors anticipated Tenaga to reported losses, their concerns were whether it could work out the gas supply issue and a definite compensation from Petronas.

However, the lack of assurance from Petronas could weigh on the share price, especially after Tenaga president and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh said on Friday no decision had been reached as yet.

OSK Research said barring a write-back of compensation from Petronas due to its failure to supply sufficient gas to Tenaga, the power company should still post losses over the next two quarters.

“A continued gas shortage coupled with outages in coal plants during 4QFY11 should have necessitated Tenaga to continue to generate substantial power from expensive oil and distillates. In addition, the weakening ringgit would give rise to translation losses,” it said.

OSK Research cautioned that Tenaga might be hopeful for compensation from Petronas amounting to 33% to 67% of its additional fuel bill.

“Investors may also hold out hopes of Tenaga securing a fuel cost pass through after the anticipated General Elections, which may be held soon. In any case, we still believe it would be risky to invest in Tenaga beyond current levels given such speculation,” it added.

However, the broader market could extend their gains, underpinned by the recent strong performance on Wall Street where stocks closed out a fourth week of gains in quiet fashion on Friday, edging higher as the market took a breather after rallying 3% on Europe's deal to stem its debt crisis.

Reuters reported though investors still have questions about implementing the deal, they appeared satisfied by Europe's progress as stocks ended their longest weekly winning streak of the year.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 22.56 points, or 0.18%, to 12,231.11. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index added 0.49 point, or 0.04%, to 1,285.08. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 1.48 points, or 0.05 percent, to 2,737.15.

As for the FBM KLCI, it is up 114.3 points from Oct 3’s 1,367.52 to end 1,481.82 last Friday. For last week, the KLCI was up 30.9 pts or 2.19%.

Affin Investment Bank head of retail research Dr Nazri Khan believes the KLCI is likely to trend higher next week on stronger global risk appetite following twin Europe-US catalysts last week.

The factors were the long awaited plan to resolve the European debt crisis and the stronger than expected US 3rd quarter economic growth (registering the fastest quarterly GDP in a year).

“Going forward next week, we expect investors to price in stronger US/European economy as well as the reduced banking crisis risk in both continents, pushing KLCI to a possible 1,524 level (which is the KLCI high made in 2008 before the subprime crisis),” said Nazri.

Other stocks to watch are Envair Holdings Bhd, SILK Holdings Bhd and MALAYAN FLOUR MILLS BHD [] (MFM). Also in focus could be TASEK CORPORATION BHD [] and Cycle & Carriage Bhd.

Envair has received a letter of intent from Zai Corporate Finance Ltd (ZAICF), an investment banking firm based in London, to subscribe for up to 30% of its new ordinary shares of 10 sen each at the market issue price.

The ACE Market listed company said the board would deliberate on this matter and announce its decision on the private placement.

SILK chairman Datuk Mohd Azlan Hashim has said he was confident the company would be able to return to profitability in a couple of years as traffic volume picks up for its tolled highway operations and an improvement in the marine support services.

"We expect with the continued increase in traffic flow in that area, these losses will eventually be wiped out and there will be a turnaround in profitability," he said.

Malayan Flour Mills could be getting ready for the next stage of growth, having announced a series of corporate exercises in May and signing an agreement in October that would see it step into the Indonesian market, according to The Edge weekly.

Tasek's earnings fell 32.9% to RM22.10 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 (3QFY11) from RM32.90 million a year ago, due to lower sales. Its revenue fell 7.5% to RM132.99 million from RM143.78 million. Earnings per share were 17.82 sen compared with 20.63 sen.

Cycle & Carriage Bhd’s earnings for third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 fell 38.37% to RM5.93 million from RM9.62 million a year ago, due to lower margins and reduced non-recurring income. Revenue rose 20.6% to RM188.21 million from RM156.03 million. EPS were 5.89 sen compared to 9.55 sen the previous year.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: DiGi, IOI, Supermax, YTL

KUALA LUMPUR: Stocks on Bursa Malaysia could extend their gains in light trade on Tuesday, Oct 25, in line with the firmer markets as investors pinned their hopes for a resolution to the euro debt crisis.

However, with the Deepavali holidays on Wednesday, there could be some profit taking later in the day.

The markets would also be seeking more clarity from the summit on Wednesday as the EU meeting over the weekend yielded no firm decisions, although the structure of the policy response has now begun to take shape.

A report from The Royal Bank of Scotland research said EU Finance Ministers agreed over the weekend that European banks could need to find 108 billion euros in fresh capital over the next six to nine months with an announcement reportedly set for Wednesday.

“However, this falls somewhat short of the IMF's 200 billion euros estimate. It was also confirmed that the ECB will not be utilised to increase the fire-power of the Euro-zone bailout fund.

“Instead, a special fund may be set up to attract global investors, possibly including the IMF, which would then buy bonds of struggling Euro-zone countries. This could run in parallel with another fund insuring against losses of up to 20% by bondholders,” it said.

Among the stocks to watch are DIGI.COM BHD [], IOI Corp Bhd, Supermax Corp Bhd and YTL Group.

DiGi.com’s earnings rose just a marginal 1.08% to RM292.44 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 from RM289.31 million a year ago. The telco said the flat earnings were due to higher depreciation and amortisation while average revenue per user (ARPU) dipped.

An increase in data revenue pushed turnover up by 12.6% to RM1.52 billion from RM1.35 billion. Earnings per share were 37.6 sen compared with 37.20 sen a year ago.

DiGi declared an interim single-tier tax exempt dividend of 37 sen per share for financial year ending Dec 31, 2011 on Dec 8. Depreciation and amortisation was RM306.08 million in 3QFY11 compared with RM196.69 million a year ago.

IOI Corp expects its financial performance for the current financial year ending June 30, 2012 (FY2012) to be better than FY2011. The optimism was based on the improved profitability in its resources based manufacturing division, underpinned by lower crude palm oil prices.

The PLANTATION [] giant also expected crude palm oil (CPO) prices to rise above RM3,000 per tonne in the next three months due to the drop in production amid increasing overseas demand.

IOI chairman Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng said the rainy season coupled with a labour shortage is expected to derail production of fresh fruit bunches in the next six months, despite increasing demand from China, India and Pakistan.

Supermax’s net profit fell 18.9% to RM30.91 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 from RM38.11 million a year ago, affected by the higher natural rubber and nitrile latex prices.

However, it said although profitability is lower than last year, it is seeing positive signs for a rebound after recording a second consecutive quarter of core profit growth. Supermax’s revenue was however higher at RM271.42 million, up 15.4% from RM235.10 million.

For the nine-month period, earnings fell 42.5% to RM77.86 million from RM135.44 million. Revenue rose 8.7% to RM750.71 million from RM690.58 million.

YTL Communications Sdn Bhd (YTL Comms) has submitted its business plan to Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to secure spectrum licences to roll out its Yes 4G mobile internet-with-voice service in Sabah and Sarawak.

Its chief executive officer, Wing K. Lee, said the company was currently awaiting feedback from MCMC. "MCMC will review the plan and give us the feedback," he added.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: Tenaga, Maxis, Tanjung, Daibochi

KUALA LUMPUR: Investors will sitting on their hands over the weekend as they focus on the summit of European leaders to resolve Europe’s debt crisis. A decisive framework to reach basic agreements over the weekend would bolster investor confidence.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 posted its third straight week of gains on Friday Oct 21, lifted by optimism before this weekend's summit and strong earnings from blue-chip stocks.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 267.01 points, or 2.31%, at 11,808.79. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 22.86 points, or 1.88%, at 1,238.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 38.84 points, or 1.49%, at 2,637.46.

Reuters reported important differences still separate major players France and Germany in solving Europe's debt crisis, but with two summits scheduled for next week, investors took an optimistic view that a resolution will soon be reached. Buying was also motivated by fear of missing a sharp move if basic agreements are reached over the weekend.

At Bursa Malaysia, stocks to watch are TENAGA NASIONAL BHD [], Maxis Bhd, TANJUNG OFFSHORE BHD [], Daibochi Plastic and Packaging Industry Bhd and SILK Holdings Bhd.

Tenaga will announce its financial results for the fourth quarter ended Aug 31, 2011 but analysts expect it to record another quarter of losses due to the shortage of gas supply from Petroliam Nasional Bhd, forcing it to burn the more expensive oil and distillate.

RHB Research Institute had maintained its Underperform call on the power company with an unchanged indicative fair value of RM4.74 based on unchanged target CY12 price-to-earnings ratio of 12 times.

“Due to ongoing gas shortage from maintenance at Petronas’ liquefied natural gas plants and delays for the Bekok C bypass, Tenaga will likely record a loss in 4Q, possibly close to that seen in 3Q (net loss RM460 million),” it said.

Tenaga, meanwhile, has proposed to issue RM5 billion in Islamic debt notes to finance the development of the 1,010 MW coal fired power plant in Manjung, Perak. The tenure is 28 years.

Meanwhile, Maxis expects significant gains from the provision of its 3G radio access network to U Mobile Sdn Bhd under the country’s first landmark network sharing and alliance agreement for an initial period of 10 years.

This arrangement also included long-term evolution (LTE) sharing, depending on the availability of the spectrum and TECHNOLOGY []. The collaboration was a milestone in the local telecommunications industry in the sharing of active telco systems and operating frequency spectrum.

Tanjung Offshore Bhd was awarded a RM27 million contract by Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd to provide three offshore support vessels (OSVs) for up to two primary years.

Tanjung said its unit Offshore Services Sdn Bhd had been awarded the contract on Oct 20.

Daibochi Plastic and Packaging Industry Bhd’s net profit fell 5.8% to RM4.54 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 from RM4.82 million a year ago mainly due to a lower contribution from the property segment.

Its revenue declined 5.2% to RM67.66 million from RM71.42 million mainly due to the reduction in the sales in the packaging segment. Earnings per share were lower at 6.04 sen compared with 6.40 sen. It declared an interim dividend of 3.0 sen per share.

SILK’s unit Jasa Merin (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has been awarded a contract extension worth RM23.5 million by Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd to provide one anchor handling tug supply vessel.

SILK said the primary three-year contract had been extended for another 12 months, which started on Oct 4. It expected the extension to contribute positively to its earnings for the financial year ending July 31, 2012.

PROTON HOLDINGS BHD [] plans to collaborate with China’s Hawtai Motor Group to set up a joint venture (JV) company there as part of Proton’s strategy to make China as one of its major manufacturing hub, especially for left-hand-drive vehicles.

MELEWAR INDUSTRIAL GROUP BHD [] has proposed a two-call rights issue of up to 151.17 million rights shares to raise RM27.46 million. The rights issue would be at an indicative issue price of RM1 per rights share on the basis of two rights shares for every three existing shares held on an entitlement date to be determined later.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: TH Plantations, AirAsia, MAS, Kumpulan H&L

KUALA LUMPUR: Stocks on Bursa Malaysia could advance on Friday, Oct 21, following fresh positive economic data from the US while interest could continue to be focused on glove makers and selected stocks.

But overall market sentiment would be cautious, as sentiment always hinges on the volatile European and US economic data.

On Wall Street, stocks ended with modest gains on Thursday, shifting back and forth on incremental developments in Europe where leaders sought to reassure investors that a solution to the debt crisis would come soon.

Germany and France released a statement on Thursday saying leaders would now hold two summits to discuss the debt crisis, with a solution in place by Wednesday's second meeting.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended up 37.16 points, or 0.32 percent, at 11,541.78. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 5.51 points, or 0.46 percent, at 1,215.39. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 5.42 points, or 0.21 percent, at 2,598.62.

At Bursa Malaysia, among the stocks to watch are TH PLANTATION []s Bhd, AIRASIA BHD [] and MALAYSIAN AIRLINE SYSTEM BHD [] (MAS)and Kumpulan H&L High-Tech Bhd.

TH Plantations’ earnings rose 53.8% to RM33.12 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 from RM21.53 million a year ago as it benefited from higher prices for crude palm oil, palm kernel and fresh fruit bunches. Its revenue increased 37.7% to RM115.97 million from RM84.22 million. Earnings per share were 6.51 sen compared with 4.41 sen.

For the nine-month period, its earnings jumped 85.6% to RM87.12 million from RM46.93 million while revenue increased by 27.9% to RM303.73 million from RM237.44 million.

AirAsia and MAS have appointed their own independent advisers to advise the non-interested directors and the non-interested shareholders of each airline on the proposed warrants exchange.

Kumpulan H&L High-Tech’s 70% owned subsidiary in Thailand has temporarily ceased its operations there due to the severe floods.

H&L High-Tech Mould (Thailand) Co. Ltd. (H&LM) located at Bangpa-In Industrial Estate, Ayutthaya had halted its operations. H&LM manufactures metal parts for electronic and metal surface treatment.

BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO (M) [] Bhd’s earnings rose 3.3% to RM176.27 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30 from RM179.65 million. Its revenue increased by to RM1.104 billion from RM993.59 million, earnings per share were 61.70 sen compared with 59.80 sen. It declared an interim dividend tax exempt of 60 sen a share compared with 64 sen a year ago.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: Kencana, Bursa, Hua Yang, Hai-O, Bonia

KUALA LUMPUR: Trading on Bursa Malaysia on Thursday, Oct 20 could see some downside pressure after stocks on Wall Street fell overnight on worries that Europe remains far from a solution to its debt crisis.

The Dow Jones industrial average shed 75.49 points, or 0.65 percent, at 11,501.56. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 15.63 points, or 1.28 percent, at 1,209.75. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 54.41 points, or 2.05 percent, at 2,603.02.

On Wednesday, several Asian markets slipped into the red yesterday after Hong Kong's government said it expects economic growth in the territory to be affected by weaker exports, with gross domestic product anticipated to grow at lower end of its own forecast range.

On Bursa Malaysia, among the stocks that could be in focus are KENCANA PETROLEUM BHD [], JCY International Bhd, BURSA MALAYSIA BHD [], HUA YANG BHD [], HAI-O ENTERPRISE BHD [], BONIA CORPORATION BHD [] and AT SYSTEMATIZATION BHD [].

The Edge FinancialDaily reports Kencana is in talks to acquire more than 130 acres (52ha) of land adjacent to its fabrication yard in Lumut, Perak, sources said.

It also reported Malaysia’s country's largest listed hard disk drive component maker by market capitalisation, JCY International Bhd, chalked up impressive gains on Bursa Malaysia yesterday with its share price rising 12.5 sen or 27.5% to close at 58 sen.

Bursa Malaysia’s net profit for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 rose 39.37% to RM38.61 million from RM27.71 million a year earlier, driven mainly by higher revenue, but it was cautious on the outlook on concerns of further downside risk.

Revenue for the quarter increased by 23.68% to RM107.31 million from RM86.76 million in 2010. Earnings per share were 7.30 sen compared to 5.20 sen in 2010, while net assets per share was RM1.56.

For the nine months ended Sept 30, Bursa’s net profit rose to RM114.82 million from RM83.26 million in 2010, on the back of a 25% increase in revenue to RM324.47 million from RM259.14 million a year earlier.

Hua Yang’s net profit for the second quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 surged to RM13.89 million from RM4.31 million a year earlier, due mainly to steady CONSTRUCTION [] progress and better sales.

Its revenue for the quarter more than doubled to RM76.13 million from RM35.63 million in 2010.

Reviewing its performance, Hua Yang said the sales achieved during the quarter under revised was 119% higher year-on-year with total unbilled sales of RM395.24 million, giving it improved earnings visibility in the remaining period of FY2012.

Meanwhile, Hai-O Enterprise is expecting to see higher profits for FY2012, on the back of improving sales for its consumable products, said its co-founder and group managing director Tan Kai Hee.

He said the multi-level marketing (MLM) group was now focusing on marketing its consumable products such as health supplements and herbs which had higher margins and ensure repeated sales for recurring income.

He said Hai-O’s profit for FY2011 ended April 30 had fallen 60% due to the implementation of the new Direct Sales Act by the government in April 2010.

Bonia is acquiring PROPERTIES [] in Cheras for RM44.29 million for its expansion plans and to reduce rental expense.

Its unit Luxury Parade Sdn Bhd had entered into 15 sale and purchase agreements with Platinum Starhill Sdn Bhd to acquire freehold units in two blocks in Cheras.

ACE Market-listed AT Systematization became the latest casualty of Thailand’s flood casualty, after its wholly-owned subsidiary, Automation TECHNOLOGY [] Systematization Industries Limited (ATSi) temporarily closed its operations there.

ATSi procures design and assembles automatic machines according to purchase orders.

AT Systematization said ATSi had shut down the manufacturing operations from Oct 13 due to the unexpected severe floods in Thailand.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: MMHE, Boustead, CIMB, Pharmaniaga

KUALA LUMPUR: The selldown on Bursa Malaysia on Tuesday, Oct 18, in line with the regional markets, saw RM21.9 billion erased from the Malaysian stock market capitalisation, according to the stock market data.

The sharp pullback was expected to push investors to the sidelines on Wednesday, unless there was strong economic data from the US or Europe to restore confidence.

Analysts expect trading to be volatile on Wednesday with more downside pressure, if Wall Street extends its losses on Tuesday.

At Bursa Malaysia, the FBM KLCI fell 1.73% or 25.41 points to 1,439.94, weighed by losses including at PLANTATION []s and blue chip stocks. Losers hammered gainers 705 to 145 while volume was 1.36 billion shares valued at RM1.37 billion.

Sime Darby’s 25 sen decline to RM8.65, dragged the 30-stock index down by 3.47 points while CIMB’s loss of 18 sen to RM7.19 erased 3.10 points from the index. Tenaga fell 22 sen to RM5.35, giving up most of Monday’s gains, reduced the index by another 2.75 points.

On the regional front, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index tumbled 4.23% to 18,076.46, the Shanghai Composite Index lost 2.33% to 2,383.49, Singapore’s Straits Times Index fell 1.95% to 2,724.69, Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 1.55% to 8,741.91, South Korea’s Kospi lost 1.41% to 1,838.90 and Taiwan’s Taiex shed 1.36% to 7,359.48.

At Bursa, stocks to watch on Wednesday are BOUSTEAD HOLDINGS BHD [], Pharmaniaga, Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Bhd (MMHE) and CIMB Group Holdings Bhd.

Boustead Holdings Bhd is seeking RM20.80 million in compensation after the Penang government decided not to approve the reclamation plans.

Boustead said the compensation amount was verified by independent consultants and it “is still in negotiation with the Penang Chief Minister and state government on the form of compensation to be paid to Boustead Holdings”.

In a separate announcement, Boustead reduced the offer price for PHARMANIAGA BHD [] shares by 5% from RM5.75 to RM5.46 under the restricted offer due to the prevailing market conditions.

It said the price of RM5.46 per Pharmaniaga share represented an attractive entry level cost into Pharmaniaga.

Boustead cited the relatively stable income stream for Pharmaniaga from the concession held by Pharmaniaga for the distribution of selected medical products to government owned hospitals and the growth prospects of the pharmaceutical industry in Malaysia.

MMHE’s unit has secured a contract for the Teluk gas development project by ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc.

It saidthe scope of work included the CONSTRUCTION [] to commissioning of two top sides and two jackets to support the platforms.

CIMB Group Holdings Bhd’s subsidiary CIMB Thai posted net profit of 856.1 million baht (RM87.26 million) in the nine-months ended Sept 30, 2011, down 4.2% from 893.6 million baht in the previous corresponding period.

CIMB Thai, a 93.15% of CIMB Bank Bhd, reported on Tuesday, Oct 18 this was mainly due to one-off gains from the disposal of Sathorn building and certain subsidiaries in the corresponding period in 2010. “Should these items be excluded, the profit would have increased 149.2% year-on-year,” it said.

Read more...

Stocks to watch: PacMas, Leader, Public Bank, LFE Corp

KUALA LUMPUR: The fresh flow of corporate news on Bursa Malaysia, with a proposed takeover of LEADER UNIVERSAL HOLDINGS BHD [], the windfall for PACIFICMAS BHD [] shareholders and strong earnings from PUBLIC BANK BHD [] will underpin market sentiment.

Other stocks to watch are LFE Corp Bhd, TENAGA NASIONAL BHD [], GADANG HOLDINGS BHD [], Malayan Flour Mills and Nadayu PROPERTIES [] Bhd,.

OCBC Capital (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (OCSB) has made offer to acquire all of PacificMas’s stakes in five companies for RM450 million of which RM164.23 million be in cash and RM285.76 million due and owing by OCSB to PacificMas.

After the completion of the corporate exercise, PacificMas’ assets would comprise mainly cash, available-for-sale/trading securities and the deferred amount. PacificMas will promptly distribute its remaining cash via the declaration of special dividend(s) and/or the implementation of a capital repayment exercise.

Leader Universal’s top officials, via HNG Capital Sdn Bhd, have made a takeover offer for the company for RM480.10 million or RM1.10 per share. This is 26 sen above the last traded price of 84 sen. Leader said the purchase consideration would be RM410.94 million in cash and RM69.16 million as an amount remaining due and owing by HNGC as a debt due to Leader.

Public Bank Bhd’s earnings rose 14.8% to RM898.79 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2011 from RM782.7 million a year ago. Revenue increased by 13.7% to RM3.27 billion from RM2.87 billion. Earnings per share were 25.66 sen compared with 22.35 sen a year ago.

For the nine-months ended Sept 30, 2011, its earnings rose 18.3% to RM2.606 billion from RM2.202 billion. Revenue increased 16.9% to RM9.434 billion from RM8.064 billion. Pre-tax profit grew by 16.6% to RM3.447 billion from RM2.955 billion.

LFE CORPORATION BHD [] has been awarded RM26.35 million in its suit against its major shareholder and former director, Alan Rajendram A/L Jeya Rajendram.

LFE said the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration had awarded RM26.35 million, interest at the rate of 8% per annum from Dec 21, 2008, legal costs of RM200,000 and costs of the arbitration of RM104,352.

Tenaga Nasional’s share price rallied 37 sen to RM5.57 on expectations of a resolution over its gas supply issue. Market talk was that Tenaga might get a writeback from Petronas.

Gadang said Messrs Ernst & Young was not seeking reappointment as auditors of the company for the financial year ending May 13, 2012 at its AGM.

It said Meloria Sdn Bhd, a substantial shareholder, had in its Oct 3 letter, nominated Messrs PKF as auditors in place of Ernst & Young and to hold office until the conclusion of the next AGM.

Malayan Flour Mills’ proposed EGM fixed for Wednesday, Oct 19 will go ahead after the application for an injunction to restrain or prevent the meeting had been dismissed.

Nadayu Properties Bhd, a medium sized property developer, aims to hit a sales target of at least some RM300 million next year.

Its executive chairman Hamidon Abdullah said on Monday, Oct 17 the sales target was based on its upcoming property launches.

Read more...