FBMKLCI 1588.58 DJ -151.44 CRUDE OIL 95.03 RM 2.9710

Two local oil and gas (O&G) service providers, SapuraCrest Petroleum Bhd and Kencana Petroleum Bhd, are set to merge and become the largest O&G service provider by asset size in the country, allowing it to undertake larger and more complex projects in a proposed deal valued at RM11.85bil. Both companies announced yesterday they received offer letters from special-purpose vehicle (SPV) Integral Key Sdn Bhd (IKSB) to buy up the assets and liabilities of both companies, to be paid for in cash and new shares in the new merged entity. Both SapuraCrest and Kencana will then distribute the cash and IKSB shares they receive, back to their shareholders. This will result in the current shareholders of SapuraCrest and Kencana owning shares in IKSB.

KPJ Healthcare Bhd’s wholly-owned subsidiary Kumpulan Perubatan (Johor) Sdn Bhd (KPJSB) has signed a joint venture deal with Yayasan Islam Perlis (YIP) to build and operate a hospital on a leasehold 4.33 acres in Kangar. The private healthcare facility will be known as KPJ Perlis Specialist Hospital.

Silk Holdings Bhd has secured four long term contracts worth a total of RM39.75mil from Petronas Carigali Sdn for the provision of four units of anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTSV). Silk Holding said the contracts would not materially affect the results of Silk for the financial year ending July 31 but was expected to contribute positively to its earnings and assets for the financial year ending July 31, 2012.

Securities of Sunway Holdings Bhd and Sunway City Bhd (SunCity) will be suspended for trading from Aug 2 until the removal of both companies from the official list of Bursa Securities.  Both companies’ shareholders had agreed at an EGM last month to a proposal that would see a new company (newco) called Sunway Sdn Bhd take over Sunway and SunCity in a RM4.5bil deal via cash and share swaps.vNewco proposed to take over Sunway Holdings for RM2.60 a share and SunCity at RM5.10 a share, as well as buy Sunway Holdings and SunCity warrants at RM1.50 and RM1.29 respectively. Under the deal, new shares in newco will be issued, valued at RM2.80 per share. The newco will merge the assets and liabilities of Sunway and SunCity. A new Sunway entity is expected to be listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia in the third quarter of this year.

Inari Bhd, which is en route to a listing on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia on July 19, had its initial public offering (IPO) oversubscribed by 10.42 times. At an issue price of 38 sen per share, Inari's IPO raised RM31.54mil in proceeds for the group. About RM17.5mil from the proceeds will be allocated for capital expenditure, including the building of a new assembly and manufacturing facility in Penang which is due to be completed in the first quarter of 2012.

Bumi Armada Bhd’s institutional price under its initial public offering (IPO) was fixed at RM3.03 per share after the completion of the bookbuilding process. In a Bursa Malaysia filing yesterday, the offshore oil and gas services provider stated that the final retail price was fixed at RM3.03 per share. The company will refund the 12 sen difference between the final retail price and the retail price of RM3.15 per issue share, within 10 market days from the date of the final ballot of the applications. The retail offering closed on July 7.

FBMKLCI 1515.74 DJ-79.85 CRUDE OIL 104.99 RM 2.99

New stock listing

No.  Stock  Code    Stock Name     Reference Price      Lower Limit     Upper Limit

1.    5196                BJFOOD            0.51                         0.21                 2.55

Local airlines, along with other carriers worldwide, will see higher fuel costs eat into their first-quarter profits, as political unrest in Libya continues to push oil prices to new highs not seen in over two years.

Crude for April delivery was quoted at US$106.45 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange yesterday, with the jet fuel price hitting close to US$130 per barrel.

DRB-HICOM Bhd’s wholly-owned subsidiary DRB-Hicom Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd (Deftech) has received a contract worth RM7.55bil from the Malaysian Government to supply armoured-wheeled vehicles (AWV). DRB-HICOM told Bursa Malaysia yesterday that Deftech had accepted a letter of award from the Government to design, develop, manufacture, commission, supply and deliver 257 units of 12 variants of the 8x8 AWVs . The contract is for a period of seven years beginning 2011.

Trading in the shares of Berjaya Retail Bhd was suspended yesterday pending a material announcement.

The company yesterday requested for a suspension of trading of its securities for three market days, from 9am on Monday until 5pm tomorrow.

Multi Sports Holdings Ltd plans to sponsor a Taiwan depository receipt programme (TDR) that would represent up to 67.50 million new shares of 5 US cents each or 15% of its current paid-up share capital.

The company told Bursa Malaysia yesterday that it would issue up to 67.50 million new shares at an issue price to be determined later, which would be the underlying shares for the programme.

Malaysian Merchant Marine Bhd (MMM) is facing a possible de-listing after failing to submit its regularisation plan to the Securities Commission or Bursa Malaysia Securities for approval within the stipulated timeframe.

Sunway Holdings Bhd’s unit Sunway Construction Sdn Bhd (SunCon) has secured a contract worth RM74.1mil from Bio-XCell Sdn Bhd to undertake the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of a central utilities facility at Biotechnological Park Bio-XCell in Nusajaya, Johor.

The Edge FinancialDaily reports that while investors may have turned sceptical towards loss-making WiMAX player Packet One Networks Sdn Bhd (P1) (which is under Green Packet Bhd), its new strategic partner SK Telecom (SKT) believes there is much value in P1's wireless business as a launchpad for SKT's aspiration to expand regionally in Southeast Asia.

SEGI International Bhd (SEGi) group managing director Datuk Clement Hii Chii Kok has emerged as the second largest shareholder of the company after he acquired 30.3 million shares on Monday, raising his stake to 20.61%.

FBMKLCI 1522.61 DJ-88.32 CRUDE OIL 104.91 RM 2.99

BURSA MALAYSIA is likely to continue its uptrend this week with the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) expected to trade between 1,540 and 1,550 points level, dealers said. Investor sentiment remains positive on hopes foreign funds would flow back to emerging markets on a cheaper US dollar after the Federal Reserve suggested keeping its monetary easing policy.

However, a dealer said worries about tightening policies in emerging markets to combat inflation could still cap the upside in Asian markets, including Malaysia.

INVESTORS in the London FTSE 100 Index will have one eye on the events in conflict-hit Libya this week, and its effect on oil prices, and the other on the monthly interest-fixing Bank of England meeting. Trading sessions have been uncertain, with investors hesitant amid alarming images of unrest from oil-producing Libya and more upbeat news on the US economy and in company results. “The British markets seem less optimistic looking on the future of the economic recovery due to the growing global uncertainties, with the oil price and inflation on the way up,” said experts at UK Markets.

Sunway’s unit Sunway CONSTRUCTION Sdn Bhd Holdings Bhd has secured a RM257.96 million contract for the proposed construction of part of the Legoland Malaysia Theme Park in Johor. Sunway Construction had accepted the letter of award from IDR Assets Sdn Bhd to build package four of the theme park.

Fajarbaru’s unit has received the letter of acceptance from the BINA PURI HOLDINGS BHD-TIM Sekata joint venture for part of the light rail transit (LRT) extension project valued at RM62.66 million. Its unit Fajarbaru Builder Sdn Bhd was appointed by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd as the nominated sub-contractor to the joint venture.

BANDAR RAYA DEVELOPMENTS BHD, whose unit BR Property Holdings Sdn Bhd has secured a RM450 million term loan to repay inter-company loans, payment of dividend and working capital purposes.

MUTIARA GOODYEAR DEVELOPMENT Bhd has launched its new phase of its lifestyle homes in Nadayu 92, Kajang with a gross development value (GDV) of over RM40 million.

UEM Group Bhd is looking into investing more in India’s infrastructure development projects particularly expressways, which presents tremendous growth potential. The projects would be undertaken by PLUS EXPRESSWAYS BHD [] and UEM BUILDERS BHD [].

FBMKLCI 1562.94 DJ+34.43 CRUDE OIL 91.13 RM 3.05

Low Chuan Holdings Sdn Bhd (LCH), an indirect substantial shareholder of Asia Pacific Land Bhd (AP Land), has offered to acquire the entire business of the latter for 45 sen per share or RM305.22mil. The price represents a 9.8% premium over AP Land's last traded price of 41 sen on Monday. Trading in the company's shares were suspended yesterday and will resume today. The proposed acquisition would be settled via cash totalling RM201.5mil while the remaining RM103.7mil would be an amount owed to AP Land.

The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by Telekom Malaysia Bhd and its unit TM Net Sdn Bhd over a  suit filed by Network Guidance Sdn Bhd in 2009 which was later amended to RM400 million. TM said the Court of Appeal dismissed with costs TM and TM Net Sdn Bhd’s appeal against the High Court’s decision dated Aug 9, 2010 to dismiss their application to strike-out Network Guidance's writ and amended statement of claim.

The first phase of Dialog Group’s RM5bn independent deepwater petroleum terminal in Johor, slated to be among the world's largest, will be completed by 2014, an official said. Dialog is leading a consortium, comprising the Johor state government and Dutch firm Vopak, in developing the terminal in Pengerang, south-east of Johor. Dialog's executive chairman Ngau Boon Keat said work on the project is expected to start this April. "We'll do it in three phases over seven years. The first, which we're targeting to complete by the end of 2013 or early 2014, will have 1.3 million cubic metres of storage capacity," he told reporters in Putrajaya yesterday.

LPI CAPITAL BHD posted net profit of RM36.94 million in the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2010, up 5.6% from the RM34.97 million a year ago, boosted by higher gross premium underwritten. Revenue rose 6.6% to RM190.74 million from RM178.88 million while net assets per share were RM5.26 versus RM6.54.

It also declared a second single tier interim dividend of 45 sen per share which will go ex on Jan 24 and entitlement date is Jan 26.

Sunway Holdings Bhd, via indirect subsidiary Sunway Developments Pte Ltd (SDPL), has been awarded a tender to jointly develop a parcel of land at Yuan Ching Road, Singapore, for a 103-year lease term at S$131.6mil (RM314.91mil). Hoi Hup, SDPL and SC Wong Holdings intend to incorporate a joint venture on a 60:30:10 basis to undertake the development of the land,” Sunway Holdings told Bursa Malaysia yesterday. The tender was awarded by the Housing and Development Board of Singapore, it said.

The tenders for the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) works will be called in April and awarded in May, according to the Land Public Transport Commission. The tenders will be called by Syarikat Prasarana Negara SB but the decision to award lies with the government with input provided parties like LPTC and the main contractor Gamuda-MMC Corp. “The final pathway for the three MRT lines are now being determined in the value management study, so the RM36.6bn project value figure could change as result. “The second and third routes will be announced in March when the urban rail development master plan is released,” said LPTC chief executive officer Mohd Nur Ismal Kamal.

Hap Seng Consolidated’s shares have come under selling pressure  as investors sold their shares after it announced a corporate exercise to raise RM1.5 billion. However, investors would now have to assess the fair value of the shares after the recent selldown.

SEG International Bhd is teaming up with Oakfine Development Sdn Bhd to expand the former’s business in Perak. Its unit SEGi University College (M) Sdn Bhd had entered into a heads of agreement with Oakfine for the proposed expansion. Oakfine plans to develop 60 acres of land in Hulu Kinta while SEGi group plans to expand its core business of providing educational and training services in Perak.

FBMKLCI 1533.42 DJ+93.24 CRUDE OIL 91.60 RM 3.04

Petra Energy is close to bagging a RM100m contract from Murphy Oil for hook-up and commissioning works,sources say. It is learnt that Petra Energy could make an announcement to the local bourse soon after ironing out a few minor issues. The job from Murphy is said to be at the same rates as the one offered by Petronas Carigali.

MRCB-IJM Land merger aborted ‘over CEO choice’

The inability of Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) and IJM Land Bhd to come to an agreement over who will lead the new entity is the cause of the merger between the two property firms being called off. 

A source confirmed this to StarBiz yesterday following both companies' announcements to Bursa Malaysia last Thursday that the merger was aborted as they were unable to reach an agreement on the definitive terms and conditions of the proposed merger, following a series of discussions. “The breakdown in talks is purely management related essentialy on the leadership of the new entity,” the source said. He said there was a difference in opinion on whether MRCB chief executive officer (CEO) Mohamed Razeek Hussain or IJM Land CEO-cum-managing director Datuk Soam Heng Choon should lead the new entity.

Sunway Holdings Bhd has secured two contracts totalling RM218.82mil for the expansion of a Universiti Teknologi Mara campus and a proposed link bridge in the city centre. The proposed projects are expected to contribute positively to the earnings of Sunway Group for the financial year ending Dec 31 onwards, it said in a statement to Bursa Malaysia.

MK Land Holdings Bhd is selling two plots of leasehold land in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, to Foster Estate Sdn Bhd for RM130mil cash. It told Bursa Malaysia yesterday that it had entered into sale-and-purchase agreements with Foster Estate on Dec 30, 2010 to dispose of 18.54 acres for RM100.78mil and another 8.32 acres for RM29.21mil. MK Land said it was disposing of the two plots to unlock their value which it had no immediate plans to develop and the proposals were expected to be completed by the end of 2011.

 

Maxbiz resumes trading on Tuesday. Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhs has directed the company make an immediate announcement in accordance with Paragraph 4.0 of PN 17 that it has triggered the prescribed criterion under paragraph 2.1(f) of PN 17. Bursa Securities had granted an extension until Dec 27, 2010 for Messrs. Gomez & Co to complete and submit its PN 17 assessment report to Bursa but the said report was not submitted to Bursa Securities by the due date. Hence, Bursa Securities deemed the company had failed to comply with the requirements and obligations as stated in the Bursa Securities' letters dated Nov 10, Dec 9 and Dec 24,  2010 respectively.

Parkson is expanding into Cambodia after it received a certificate of commercial registration from the government there to set up Parkson Cambodia Holdings Co., Ltd Parkson Cambodia will operate department stores in Cambodia.

FBMKCLI: 1488.54 DJ+150.91 CRUDE OIL 83.97 RM 3.103

Stocks ended Wednesday on a positive note after a batch of economic reports offered hope that the U.S. economy was improving. Incomes rose last month and consumer spending climbed for a fifth month. That raised hopes that shoppers will hit the malls in droves the day after Thanksgiving, the start of the holiday shopping season.

Masteel, the country's third largest steel bar maker by market share, may see revenue hitting the RM1 billion mark this year on the back of robust demand for steel billets and bars as well as firm selling prices, said its managing director cum CEO Datuk Sri Tai Hean Leng.

MISC Bhd posted a jump in net profit to RM369.4mil for the second quarter ended Sept 30, 2010 against RM82mil a year ago due to improved performance in the restructured liner business and increased profitability in the heavy engineering business.

MMC Corp Bhd’s net profit for the third quarter ended Sept 30 surged 32% to RM117.8mil from RM88.7mil a year ago due to better performance from some divisions.

Axiata Group Bhd posted a 27% increase in net profit to RM639.13mil for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2010 from RM503.66mil a year ago, driven by positive net profit contribution from Dialog Axiata Plc and Robi Axiata Ltd.

Sunway Holdings and SunCity will be merged under a proposed exercise undertaken by Sunway Sdn Bhd, which is controlled by Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Fook Ling. This would involve  RM4.5 billion in cash and share swap. The exercise entails Newco offering RM2.60 per Sunway share, RM1.50 per Sunway warrant and RM5.10 per SunCity share and RM1.29 per SunCity warrant.  

Naim Holdings’ earnings jumped 72% to RM36.94 million in the quarter ended Sept 30, 2010 from RM21.39 million a year ago mainly due to higher sales of PROPERTIES and substantial completion of certain CONSTRUCTION projects.

KNM Group Bhd saw its third quarter bottomline improve by 75% to RM56.09 million from RM31.92 million a year ago. Pre-tax profit was RM41.03 million while there was also tax incentive of RM19.54 million.

Bina Puri Holdings is teaming up with a Chinese association to develop a two acre site in Jalan Pasar, which guarantees investment return of RM40.6 million in 14 years.

Bina Puri will be investing RM16.0 million which is the estimated construction cost.

PLUS Expressways Bhd’s net profit for the third quarter ended Sept 30 rose 12% to RM349.7mil from RM311.6mil a year ago. The increase was primarily due to higher toll revenue mitigated by higher finance costs as well as amortisation and depreciation charges.

FBMKLCI 1487.53 DJ -142.21 CRUDE OIL: 81.23 RM: 3.081

Stocks fell Tuesday as a flare-up of tensions between North and South Korea combined with downbeat news on the economy gave investors plenty of reasons to sell ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. The dollar and gold rose as investors sought safe places to park money. 

  

MRCB and IJM Land Bhd yesterday announced their proposed merger exercise, which will create the country's second largest property player after the enlarged UEM Land Holdings Bhd, with a market capitalisation exceeding RM7 billion and a land bank of over 9,000 acres. 

Market observers are speculating that a “marriage” of sorts is on the cards for SunCity and Sunway Holdings Bhd, after both companies had their shares suspended from trading for two days from yesterday, pending a material announcement on a corporate exercise. 

Gadang Holdings Bhd is bidding for several engineering and construction projects totalling more than RM2 billion and the company anticipates stronger earnings for the financial year 2011 ended May 31.

LionInd’ 1QFY11 net loss of RM18.8m. The poor results were mainly attributed to the arrival of expensive feed material, namely iron ore and scrap metal, which were mismatched with weakening selling prices.

Parkson Holdings announced that it is selling its 100% equity interest in Shantou Parkson to its 51.5% owned subsidiary - Parkson Retail (PRG).

Msports 9MFY10 earnings of RM49.2m. Production volume increased by 34% to 23.4m in 9MFY10 while average selling price improved by 4.4% to RMB18.9 per pair, mainly driven by the higher demand for EVA MD products.

MPHB posted net profit of RM86.49 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, up 70% from RM50.73 million a year, boosted by its gaming and stockbroking operations. Revenue was 4.6% higher at RM850.7 million compared with RM813.24 million a year ago.

MUDAJAYA GROUP BHD net profit rose 31.8% to RM46.55 million for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2010 from RM35.32 million a year ago, mainly due increased level of activities.