-->

M1 Limited - CIMB Research 2016-12-05: Down and still out

M1 Limited - CIMB Research 2016-12-05: Down and still out M1 LIMITED B2F.SI

M1 Limited - Down and still out

  • New promos to put some pressure on mobile revenue in FY16F-17F. New player to drive mobile revenue down 11% between FY17F and FY20F.
  • Healthy fixed services growth to help partially buffer weaker mobile revenue.
  • EBITDA to stay flattish in FY16F-17F and could decline by 20% in FY17F-20F.
  • Payout ratio likely to stay at 80% due to high capex and spectrum payments.
  • Maintain Hold and DCF-based target price of S$2.10.


Soft mobile revenue before bigger decline in 2018

  • We expect M1’s mobile service revenue to be slightly under pressure in FY16F (- 4.4%) and FY17F (+0.7%) due to the recent launch of lower-priced SIM-only plans and upsized data promos. Thereafter, we expect mobile service revenue to fall by 11.2% between 2017F and 2020F as competition intensifies once the fourth mobile player launches its service in early-2018.


Fixed services growth will help to provide some cushion 

  • We expect fixed services revenue to record a healthy 3-year CAGR of 17.7% in FY16F-18F, driven by new government contracts, gradually rising corporate market share (only c.5% now) and growth in residential fibre subscribers.
  • Growth in fixed services, which formed 10.4% of FY15’s total service revenue, will help to cushion revenue in FY16F/17F (-2.5%/+1.6%) and rein in the decline to 5.4% between FY17F and FY20F, in our view.


EBITDA to stay flattish in FY16F-17F; 19% decline FY17F-20F 

  • We forecast EBITDA to decline by 7.6% in FY16F and to recover by 4.0% yoy in FY17F due to a reduction in handset subsidies. Driven by a substantial drop in revenue, EBITDA will fall by 20.1% in FY17F-20F, with the EBITDA margin falling to a low of 33.5% in FY20F, based on our projection. 
  • In our bear/bull case, EBITDA could fall by 38%/7% in the same three-year period.


Capex to stay high for another two years

  • We believe capex is likely to stay high at c.S$130m-140m p.a. (capex/sales: 16.0- 17.5%) in FY16F-17F before easing to S$120m p.a. over the long term. About S$100m will likely be spent on mobile network maintenance/upgrades while the remaining S$30m-40m will be largely for fibre investments, i.e. to connect more buildings and for mobile backhaul.


Payout ratio increase and special dividends unlikely

  • We do not expect M1 to raise its payout ratio (FY15: 80%) or pay special dividends in the next two years. Due to high capex and spectrum payments, we forecast net debt/EBITDA at 1.3x/1.2x/1.2x by end-FY16F/17F/18F, which is within its optimal capital structure range of 1.0x to 1.5x, in our view.


Maintain Hold and DCF-based target price of S$2.10 

  • We maintain our Hold rating and DCF-based target price of S$2.10 (WACC: 7.1%).
  • M1’s 12.7x FY17F EV/OpFCF is at a 9.3% discount to the ASEAN telco average.
  • Dividend yield of 6.7%/7.0% in FY16/17F will fall to 5.7% in FY18 due to earnings decline, impacted by more intense competition from the fourth mobile player. 
  • Upside/ downside risks are better-/worse-than-expected impact from the entry of the fourth mobile player.




FOONG Choong Chen CFA CIMB Research | http://research.itradecimb.com/ 2016-12-05
CIMB Research SGX Stock Analyst Report HOLD Maintain HOLD 2.100 Same 2.100




Advertisement



MOST TALKED ABOUT STOCKS / REITS OF THE WEEK



loading.......