Monday 3 September 2012

Muhibbah - 2Q12 results within expectations


Period   2Q12/1H12

Actual vs.  Expectations
Within ours and the consensus expectations.

The 1H12 net profit of RM33m made up 45% and 46% of ours and the consensus’ forecasts of RM74.2m and RM72.8m respectively.

Dividends  No dividend was declared during the quarter.

Key Result Highlights
1H12 net profit increased by 4% on the back of a 15% jump in revenue. The lower growth in net profit was mainly due to the poor performance of its shipyard division due to lower contracts for the division. YTD, the outstanding order book for the shipyard division has dropped by 53%.  

QoQ, the net profit increased only by 5% despite the 49% jump in revenue. This was mainly due to the margin compression (pre-tax) for its construction and shipyard divisions from 2% to 1% and 27% to 15% respectively. Nonetheless, its crane division remained stable with a 10% pre-tax margin and a 78% jump in profits.  

YoY, the net profit grew by 23% in tandem with its revenue growth of 22%. This is in line with higher recognition of its ongoing order book especially for its crane division (+6%).   

Outlook  We opine that the positive news flow on APH could lift up the sentiment on the stock and provide a better clarity on the risk of possible future writeoffs. At this juncture, we see the current situation as a trading opportunity for investors.   

Apart from the APH issue, Muhibbah’s order book stood at a good RM2.6b, which will last it for the next 2 years. Its crane business remains lucrative and we believe that this will further support the group’s earnings going forward.

Change to Forecasts
No changes in our FY12-13E forecasts.  

Rating  Upgrade to OUTPEFORM

We have upgraded our recommendation on Muhibbah to an OUTPERFORM from a MARKET PERFORM as we believe that the market has already priced in APH’s risk at its current share price level, which offers a 50% capital upside to our TP.   

Valuation   We have lowered our TP to RM1.46 based on SOP (previously RM1.67) as we factored in higher possible write-offs for APH to RM240m from RM111m.

Risks  Prolonged receivership status for APH.

Source: Kenanga

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