KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 12): Salcon Bhd too could not resist the temptation to grab a share of the supernormal profit in the rubber glove industry.
The water and wastewater engineering firm, whose share price has more than doubled within a month, announced its plan to diversify into the glove manufacturing business.
Salcon said it intends to buy a 51% stake in glove manufacturing company JR Engineering and Medical Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd (JR) for RM28.56 million.
Salcon's subsidiary Nusantara Jasakita Sdn Bhd (NJSB) has entered into a share sale agreement with JR, according to a statement.
The proposed acquisition comes with a profit guarantee of RM10 million a year for the coming three financial years ending Dec 31, 2021 (FY21) until FY23.
"With an annual production of over 336 million gloves from four single former production lines in their factory located in Zurah Industrial, Rasa, Hulu Selangor, JR is currently operating beyond its capacity," said Salcon.
Thus, in order to cater to the spike in demand in specific export markets, the group is targeting to ramp up its production capacity by an additional 12 lines to a total of 16 production lines within a year, at an estimated capital expenditure of RM150 million, to be funded via internally generated funds and bank borrowings.
This will bring the total group's annual production capacity to three billion pieces.
At present, JR has already in place the necessary approvals such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certification and the CE Marking Certification (CE) that will enable it to export to the US, European market, and other countries.
"Upon completion of the transaction, Salcon will have immediate access to a trained labour force, existing customers and an immediate source of revenue whilst cutting down on lengthy product approval and registration processes," said Salcon's executive director Datuk Eddy Leong.
JR's managing director Ganesan Subramaniam will continue to helm its operations, together with his management team.
"The acquisition is well aligned with Salcon's strategy of growth and diversification. We are confident the resulting significant synergies, economies of scale and enlarged market presence will strengthen the group's growth profile and bring greater long-term value to our stakeholders," he added.
Although there are other manufacturers ramping up production capacity and new entrants venturing into this sector, Leong believes a structural change in usage of gloves will ensure there will be continued and strong demand in the market in the near to mid term.
Prior to the announcement, Salcon's share price had already shot up to 38 sen — the highest level since July 2018 from 18 sen early last month.
PERMAJU INDUSTRY: (MYR0.19) Acquisition to expand into West Malaysian property market Maybank IB Retail Research
Permaju Industries acquired 100m ordinary shares of Meridian Bhd (MEDA MK, Not Rated), representing 16.97% of issued shares in Meridian, for MYR26m cash or MYR0.26/sh. The acquisition will be funded entirely via internally generated funds. Pursuant to the acquisition, Meridian is now an associate company of Permaju.
At MYR0.26/sh, Permaja is effectively valuing Meridian at a P/B of 1.2x. The acquisition would allow Permaju to expand its property ventures into the West Malaysian market. At present, Permaju’s property projects are mainly located in Sabah. The acquisition would allow both parties to leverage on respective resources, as Meridian is also involved in property development and construction.
That say, execution is key to success. Meridian has been in the red since FY14 while Permaja’s earnings track record has also been volatile. Meridian’s earnings were affected by the subdued property market while Permaju, which has been in the red since FY07, was weighed by high operating costs. Its property and automotive industries are exposed to weak consumer sentiment.
Permaju has been trying to diversify its earnings base in its bid to turn around. In Sep 2020, the group entered into a joint venture (JV) with VSolar Group (VSOL MK, Not Rated) to submit a tender to build and operate a Large Scale Solar 4 (LSS4) proposed 50MW plant in Seremban. It is also in talks with Anzo Holdings (ANZO MK, Not Rated) to collaborate in the manufacturing of gloves.
But until any deal materializes, its outlook will remain subdued. Permaju recorded a loss after tax of MYR6.6m in FY6/20, with its automotive, timber, and property development divisions all in the red. This does not help when the government implements partial or full lockdown to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, which in turn, would hurt the demand for automotive as well as properties.
Valuation wise, P/B methodology is preferred here due to Permaju’s weak earnings track record. At current price, the stock is trading at a trailing P/B of 0.9x, above its 3-year historical average P/B of 0.7x. The only silver lining is that, its net gearing stood at 0.01x at end-Jun 2020. Investors with lower risk appetite should stay on the sidelines for now.
Will the market crash if budget 2021 cannot be passed this coming Thursday (26/10/2020)? These are the 4 possible scenarios:
1. Parliament will be dissolved and a snap election will be called 2. A state of Emergency in the whole country will be declared by YDPA 3. Muhyiddin will resign and YDPA will appoint an interim PM 4. YDPA will appoint a new PM who has majority MPs support. A new budget 2021 also will be tabled by the new appointed PM.
Will the market go down? Will it crash? Take profit now or wait?
This book is the result of the author's many years of experience and observation throughout his 26 years in the stockbroking industry. It was written for general public to learn to invest based on facts and not on fantasies or hearsay....
JohnFook
569 posts
Posted by JohnFook > 2020-11-12 15:25 | Report Abuse
Anzo fly like Gets !!!!!