Soup Restaurant: Gain of $7.7m.

On 14 June, Soup Restaurant confirmed the sale of its stake in YES F&B Group Pte Ltd. The consideration is S$7.9m which represents an excess of some S$7.7m over the cost of investment of the Group at the end of FY2011.

The net tangible assets (NTA) per share and consolidated earnings per share (EPS) of Soup Restaurant will be positively impacted in the current FY2012. The former would see an increase of 1.18c per share while the latter would see an increase of 1.05c per share.

The completion of such a sale is not going to happen immediately. It is going to take some time but the rising OBV seems to be telling us that smart money is accumulating shares of Soup Restaurant even as its share price suffers from some weakness in recent sessions.

I bought some shares recently at 12.3c. If I do not make money from this investment, at least I would get a 15% discount when I dine at Soup Restaurant outlets in future as a shareholder. ;p

See announcement: here.

Related post:
Soup Restaurant: Special dividend?

China Minzhong: High volume white candle day.

Having added to my long position in China Minzhong recently, believing that it was not a time to sell, I am pleased to say that I seem to be on the same page as Mr. Market now.

I added more to my long position today as share price broke resistance provided by the 20dMA at 57c on the back of very high volume in the morning. Volume is the fuel that drives rallies and the high volume breakout could see some follow through.

Fundamentally undervalued, China Minzhong was, technically, also very oversold. However, with the relentless selling by Mr. Market and decline in share price, the technicals are pretty damaged and it would take some time to repair.

The share price is in a downtrend; there is no doubt about it. Drawing a trend line shows us where resistance could be found over time in the event of a price recovery. Shortists who might have covered their shorts today could come out of the woodwork once the share price is at resistance.

In the meantime, the rising momentum oscillators suggest that selling pressure continues to ease and if buying pressure should continue to overcome the sellers, a test of trend line resistance is on the horizon.

The resistance provided by the declining 50dMA is something to watch out for as, if I were to hazard a guess, sellers would be out in force then. Immediate support is now provided by the 20dMA, formerly resistance at 57c.

Related post:
China Minzhong: Too cheap to sell.

Buying a piece of real estate within your means.

This blog post is part of ASSI's voluntary community service to help raise awareness on personal financial planning. Sounds altruistic, doesn't it? Well, it doesn't cost me anything.

Sky Habitat. 509 units in two 38 storey towers. Price: $1,700 psf!

From the CPF Board:

Buying a house is the single most expensive financial commitment for most people. This decision can be scary if you have not done your sums. It is worse if you have committed to a home you cannot afford.

If you haven't given much thought to your home purchase, use the checklist created by the CPF Board to guide you through your decision making.

Take part in an online quiz to win attractive prizes: http://www.cpf.gov.sg/imsavvy/ayr_list.asp?catid=2



Related post:
Buying a private property?

Olam: Share price up on buy backs.

I have always thought Olam's gearing level quite scary. Then again, it is the same with Noble and Wilmar although not as highly geared as Olam. I was told that their business models are such that high gearing level is nothing to worry about. Indeed, Mr. Market seemed to think so as their share prices were sky high once upon a time.

Gearing is a double edged sword and if a business is able to magnify its returns through gearing, then, higher gearing would intensify the returns many times over. However, in down times, things could turn really ugly. Then again, in the current environment of very low interest rates, borrowers are shouldering much lighter burdens.

When Olam announced that they are buying back shares from the market, my immediate reaction was a positive one. Hey, the management are confident in their own business and are walking the talk. However, when we remember that it still has plenty of debt in its books, it doesn't seem to make much sense anymore.

Kim Eng has this to say:
Share price jumps on buyback mandate. Olam’s share price has jumped 11% since the company announced last Friday that it has commenced a share buyback programme. While such a move is usually a positive sign, the circumstances for Olam seem rather unusual. Fundamentals-wise, other than to deter the short sellers, we do not think it is necessarily an enhancive step for shareholders. Borrowing money to purchase shares. The case for a share buyback is stronger for companies with piles of idle cash coupled with strong operating cash flows. Olam, however, is considered highly leveraged with net gearing of 189% and adjusted net gearing of 42% as at FY6/12. Since listing in 2004, its operating cash flow has been positive only in 2006 and 2009 as funds were needed for expansionary working capital.

Kim Eng has a SELL recommendation on Olam with a TP of $1.43.

Defensive stocks and REITs outperform in volatile times.

Market volatility has become a norm and it is getting harder to time the market. Rather than sitting on the bench and having your savings eroded by inflation, REITs have what it takes to provide you the value protection barring any major exogenous shocks. Defensive play would be better option taking into condition of the current erratic climate. Above all, the compelling yield will support the price and smoothen the overall individual’s portfolio returns.

Source: Phillip Capital
Read: REIT Sector Update, 12 June 2012.


Related posts:
1. Investing in REITs: A flawed strategy?
2. Telcos and REITs are top performers in May.

Saizen REIT: Insiders are accumulating again.

I read this in The Business Times just last evening:

CEO, Chang Sean Pey and executive director, Raymond Wong, acquired units in Saizen REIT this month with a combined 602,000 units purchased from 4 to 7 June at 14 cents each.

This is the CEO's first on-market trade since September 2011. The CEO now holds 3.65 million units or 0.26%. He acquired 2.02m units from March 2009 to September 2011 at an average price of 15.5c each.

Executive director, Raymond Wong, now has a deemed stake of 24.909m units or 1.74%. Prior to the acquisitions this month, he acquired 6.7m units from February 2009 to August 2010 at 10c to 17c each or an average of 14.3c each.

Also positive this quarter, executive director, Chan Kin, purchased 530,000 units on May 25 at 13c each. His deemed holdings increased to 185.041m units or 13.8%.

Of course, with insiders buying, it does not mean that the unit price is only going up from now.  However, do they know something we don't? Or do we know what they know but are unwilling to act like they have?

I do know Saizen REIT would be paying its half yearly income distribution in September. Is it going to be a bumper distribution?

Related posts:
1. Saizen REIT: Why did I buy and would I buy more?
2. Saizen REIT: Insiders buying again at 14c.
3. Saizen REIT: Acquisitions to increase DPU.

China Minzhong: Too cheap to sell.

One of the things we hear is that we should buy at prices we would not sell at and to sell at prices we would not buy at. Not too long ago, on 5 June 12, I said that it is not a good time to sell China Minzhong's shares and that it would be more sensible to think of adding to any long positions. See the blog post: here.

In a research dated 11 June 12, Kim Eng says that:

We would not recommend investors to cut loss at this stage as stock valuations are still too cheap to do so. ... The next catalyst for the stock would be the full-year results ended in June 2012. We expect to see revenue recovery due to the late-winter season and the fact that Minzhong should also be able to collect the bulk of its receivables in 4QFY6/12. The full-year numbers should reveal the impact of the European problem on both demand and asset quality.

How low can the share price go? We conduct a scenario analysis to determine how low the share price can fall to ... Although we believe that the share price has already factored in the potential slowdown in demand in Europe and our target PER of 4.7x is 25% below the historical average, we have:

1. cut our sales volume further by an aggressive 40%,

2. written down CNY200m in receivables for FY6/13, and

3. revalued the share price at 3.7x PER, which is 1 standard deviation below the historical average PER.

The upshot is a target price of SGD0.51, which is only a little below the current price of SGD0.53.

Minzhong’s worst case NAV per share (we exclude land use rights, land improvement costs as well as 20% of trade receivables) also suggests the current share price provides a very safe floor.

Soup Restaurant: Special dividend?

Some of us might remember the recent saga of Soup Restaurant VS. Dian Xiao Er. For those not in the know, there was an announcement on 4 April by Soup Restaurant: read it here.

What interests me is this:

On 4 April 2012, the Plaintiffs communicated their acceptance of the Defendants’ 3 April 2012 offer. The Plaintiffs have agreed to purchase SRG and SRI’s shareholding of 50.98% in YES for the sum of S$7,901,900.00 (i.e. 50.98% of S$15,500,000.00), and for parties to withdraw or discontinue their respective claims and counterclaims in the Suit.

The Company is pleased that the Plaintiffs have accepted the Defendants’ offer without qualification, and that they have agreed to settle the Suit on the basis proposed by the Defendants. The Company is of the view that this outcome best ensures that shareholders’ value in the Company is preserved.

This was followed by another announcement by Soup Restaurant on what might they do with the money coming in. Read announcement by the Company: here.

Soup Restaurant said if the sale goes through, it has three options available to it on the use of the proceeds: distribute all the proceeds by way of a special dividend, use the proceeds to fund expansions, or distribute part of the proceeds to shareholders and deploy the balance for expansion.

Based on the number of shares on issue (298.5m shares), if Soup Restaurant were to pay out all the proceeds of $7.9m to shareholders, each share would get 2.6c in special dividend. If the Company decides to pay out half of the proceeds and retain half to fund its business expansion plans, it would still be an attractive 1.3c per share in special dividend.

Its share price closed at 12.5c in the last session.

Read the story: Dian Xiao Er no longer in the Soup.

Win cash and a trip to any European city!

Nestle is into her 100th year and they’ve created iFeedback, a mobile application to collect feedback on Nestle’s products and packaging. Participants can win cash prizes and 2 Finnair tickets to ANY Euporean city by downloading the app!

Find out how to do it: here at Nestle!

Wilmar and China Minzhong: Time to go long?

My ill fated investments in Wilmar and China Minzhong are 30% and 45% down, respectively. The decision to be vested in these two counters were based on macro ideas and technically, they looked like they were resting on supports.

As regular readers know, I do not have cut loss prices and would seek to add to long positions if the technicals are favourable. Favourable? Yes, I look for higher lows in the momentum oscillators as share prices move lower.

Today, I added to my long positions in Wilmar and China Minzhong as their charts show me rising momentum oscillators while their share prices are retreating. The trading volumes have dwindled as well which led me to think that a floor could possibly be forming, if not the bottom.

Wilmar's share price is currently sitting on a golden ratio and if this should break, we could see $3.30 or even $3.08 tested next. Although the momentum oscillators are rising, the OBV is in decline which suggests that distribution activity is ongoing. I won't be too ambitious in adding to long positions.

China Minzhong's chart is similar to Wilmar's and if the Fibo lines I have drawn are any good, we could see 51.5c tested next. We could be seeing more selling although the the trading volume suggests that the action might not be as intense as before.

In both cases, it is not a good time to sell. Indeed, it would make more sense to stay vigilant for opportunities to buy in.

My strategy is to nibble and increase my additional purchases at lower prices if the technicals suggest that it could be a good idea. Of course, there is no way we can be absolutely sure and we can only call a bottom after it has been formed.

Telcos and REITs are top performers in May.

This is taken from an article in The Business Times today:

LMIR's Pluit Village.

The high dividend sectors of telcos and REITs performed the best in May. SGX highlighted the defensive nature of these two sectors in a market update on June 1.

In May, telcos declined 0.43% and REITs dropped 1.73%. The STI fell 7% from 2.979 to 2,773, the largest monthly drop this year.

SGX noted that the top performers year to date are FCOT, gaining 28.4% and AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT, gaining 20%.

Industrial buildings belonging to Cache Logistics Trust.

With 70% of my portfolio made up of S-REITs with good fundamentals, I sleep better at night, enjoying rather high yields and receiving regular income distributions.

Related posts:
1. Staying positive on S-REITs.
2. AIMS AMP Capital Industrial Trust: 4Q FY2012.
3. FCOT: DPU up 16.8% in 18 months.

DBS ups Starhill Global target price
Tuesday, 05 June 2012

© 2012 - The Edge Singapore

Tea with AK71: A new car for S$75,000?

I bought my Mazda 2 nearly two years ago for slightly more than S$70,000. I thought it was a little expensive but I pillarised my then Mazda 6 and was somewhat depressed. So, I got a new car.

Read the stories here:
1. Tea with AK71: Pillarised.
2. Tea with AK71: Bought a new car!

Anyway, buying a new car then proved to be a somewhat fortunate move since car prices have shot through the roof!

Read: Tea with AK71: The price of my car now.

Indeed, I found out that it would cost more than $100k now to buy a new Mazda 2!

As if that is not depressing enough, I am constantly reminded by foreigners what I could have bought in their home countries with the money I paid for my car.

Today, I am reminded once more of how expensive cars are in Singapore as I read the weekend's edition of The Business Times. Couldn't have missed it. It was on the front page.

In Singapore, a Chery QQ would set us back by S$74,988 now, after discount!

In the USA, we could buy a Porsche Boxster Black Edition for S$71,060!

In the U.K., we could buy a Mercedes Benz SLK for S$53,692!

OK, those countries are far away. What about nearer home? Well, in Malaysia, we could buy a Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI for S$60,704.

In Indonesia, we could buy an Audi A3 Sportback for S$70,672.

It is enough to make a grown (Singaporean) man cry.