Thursday, 3 January 2013

UMW (FV RM13.36 – BUY) Stock Pick: Standing Tall


UMW is our top auto pick in the auto sector. The group’s prospects promise to be exciting  as  it  emphasises  on  cost  cuts  while  pouring  in  capex  to  boost  the localization  rate  at  its  auto  unit.  The  turnaround  and  potential  listing  of  its  O&G business could perk up its valuation and pave the way for a rerating at a higher PE multiple of 14x, just like the heydays of FY06 when this division’s profits accounted for 20%-30% of UMW’s total earnings. We maintain our BUY call, with a higher FV of RM13.36, as we peg higher PE multiples to its O&G and heavy equipment divisions, which are expected to be next year’s earnings drivers.  

Autos to see moderate growth, while others soar. We foresee UMW’s earnings being driven  by  strong  growth  across  all  its  divisions,  notably  oil  and  gas  (O&G)  and  heavy engineering. Growth in its O&G unit will be boosted by a full-year contribution from Naga 1  and  new  charters  for  the  Naga  3  rig,  while  the  heavy  engineering  unit  will  see  higher equipment  orders,  buoyed  by  heightening  construction  activities.  Autos,  however,  are expected to see moderate earnings growth next year following the  hot pace in 2012. We see  this unit’s growth being  driven  by  a  combination  of  improving  vehicle  sales  coupled with higher content localization to trim costs.

Potential  listing  of  O&G  biz.  Media  reports  said  UMW  could  potentially  list  its  O&G division sometime next year to raise USD500m  (RM1.5bn) in proceeds following several divestments of its non-core O&G businesses. We see this as a possibility sometime in 3Q or  4Q  2013  at  the  earliest,  given  that  the  O&G  business  is  still  undergoing  a  revamp. While  the  details  on  the  IPO  are  still  unclear, we estimate that UMW’s O&G business, which is more focused on upstream drilling activities, could potentially fetch a PE multiple of at least 16x on FY13 earnings, representing a steep discount to SapuraKencana’s 21x.

Upgrade earnings and PE multiples. BUY. We maintain our BUY call, with a higher FV of  RM13.36,  as  we  peg  higher  PE  multiples  to UMW’s O&G  and  heavy  equipment divisions,  both  of  which  are  expected  to  be  next year’s earnings  drivers.  The  potential listing  of  its  O&G  unit  and  the  bigger  earnings  contribution  from  its  heavy  equipment business  warrants  higher  PE  multiple  of  16x  and  10x  on  FY13  earnings  respectively, versus 14x and 9x earlier. We are also factoring in the higher charter rates for the Naga 3, as  guided  by  management,  as  well  as  improving  utilization  of  its  pipe  manufacturing plants in India and China. These will ultimately raise our earnings forecasts for FY13 and FY14 by 3%.
Source: OSK

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