ARA Asset Management: Re-initiating long position.

ARA Asset Management was a stock I fully divested more than 3 years ago. 

On hindsight, it was a mistake because deviating from a familiar practice, I did not keep a core position for income. I suppose I was a bit more active as a trader in the past.

I have been waiting for a chance to get back in and the recent plunge in its stock price has provided me with an opportunity to do so.

ARA's EPS for 2014 was 10.35c and DPS was 5c. So, they paid out about 48% of earnings as dividends. 

When looking at ARA's PE ratios in the last few years since 2012, we see a range of about 12x to 22x. Median PE ratio is, therefore, about 17x.

ARA's 1H 2015's EPS came in lower at 4.19c. Could 2H 2015 do better for FY 2015 to beat FY 2014's EPS in aggregate? Of course, your guess is as good as mine. 



If we should simply annualise 4.19c, we get a full year EPS of 8.38c. Multiply that by 17x and we get a price I might buy at which is about $1.42 a share.


At $1.32 a share, I am re-initiating a long position at a PE ratio of 15.75x which is a bit lower than the median of 17x identified earlier. 




Of course, if ARA should deliver an EPS of 10c for FY 2015, $1.32 a share would look much cheaper then (with a PE ratio of 13.2x).

Dividend yield, assuming DPS of 5c remains unchanged, is almost 3.8% with a purchase price of $1.32 a share.

Another stock for income and growth? Good to accumulate at lower prices? Perhaps so.


Related post:
ARA: Divestment $1.30 and $1.32.

9M 2015 passive income from non-REITs.

Some wonder if Mr. Market could go into a depression? I don't know but I do know that many stocks became much more attractively priced in the last three months.

Consistent with my strategy to diversify my portfolio to reduce reliance on S-REITs for income, I added to my long positions in the following as their stock prices declined more significantly recently:

1. Accordia Golf Trust

2. Ascendas Hospitality Trust

3. ST Engineering

4. Starhub

5. SembCorp Industries

In the last three months, I also initiated long positions in the following as investments for income:

5. VICOM
"A 15x PE ratio would give us a fair value of $5.36 or so per share."

6. Religare Health Trust
"Trust has demonstrated its ability to improve its revenue organically quite strongly which makes up for the expiration of the sponsor's waiver to their share of the distributable income."

7. King Wan
"King Wan is in a net cash position and it also has an order book that would provide earnings visibility until 2018."

Finally, I accumulated the following stocks which have a bit of an income investing angle but the main reason is because I think they are worth much more and at lower prices, they became even more attractive:

8. Wilmar

9. OUE Limited

If you should be interested, you could search ASSI for more of my blog posts on these stocks and why I decided to add them to my portfolio when I did.

Of course, stocks could stay undervalued for a long time but regularly receiving some dividend in the meantime makes the waiting more palatable. I like to be paid while I wait.

If you suspect that I have dipped into my war chest in the last three months, you are right. 

Could we see another big decline in the stock market? We could and we should be ready. So, being cautious, I have not exhausted my war chest.

I have a couple of fixed deposits maturing next month in October and I will probably be keeping the money close at hand instead of putting it in another fixed deposit or two.

In Q3 2015, the following non-REITs paid dividends:

1. SATS

2. Old Chang Kee

3. APTT

4. SingTel

5. SCI

6. SMM

7. Wilmar

8. NeraTel

9. ST Engineering

10. QAF Ltd.

11. Starhub

12. HongLeong Finance

13. Croesus Retail Trust

For the first 9 months of 2015, total passive income received from non-REITs: S$ 57,747.59. 

This works out to be S$ 6,416.40 per month.

Have a shopping list and be ready to pounce if Mr. Market becomes depressed.

Related post:

6M 2015 passive income from non-REITs.