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Keppel Corporation - DBS Research 2017-04-21: Boosted by Divestment Gains

Keppel Corporation - DBS Vickers 2017-04-21: Boosted by divestment gains KEPPEL CORPORATION LIMITED BN4.SI

Keppel Corporation - Boosted by divestment gains

  • O&M segment barely breaks even in 1Q17.
  • Property earnings lower q-o-q due to timing of project launches.
  • Net earnings boosted by c.S$150m from divestment gains, write-backs, and mark-to-market of investments. 
  • Maintain HOLD; TP S$6.00.



Reiterate HOLD with TP of S$6.00. 

  • The acceleration of oil rebalancing following OPEC’s production cut should drive the recovery in rig demand and delivery of newbuild rigs on order.
  • Property, which accounts for 50-70% of the group’s bottom line, should continue to enjoy promising property sales in China and Vietnam, providing some cushion to the moderated O&M income and support our estimate of DPS of 20-24 Scts (3-4% dividend yield) for FY17-18F based on 40% payout ratio. 
  • Our TP is lifted to S$6.00 as we roll over valuation to FY17 and imputed valuation for Keppel Capital.


Impairment on O&M assets. 

  • In 4Q16, Keppel provided S$313m impairment for fixed assets, stocks & WIP and investments which largely arose from the O&M segment, partially offset by fair value gain on investment property. Stripping this out, PATMI would have been better than expected at c.S$300m (vs reported S$143m).
  • O&M segment reported a loss of S$138m due to provisions of S$270m in the quarter. Otherwise, it would have registered a stellar EBIT margin of 18.8% and PATMI of S$130m, aided by write-back, repair jobs and cost savings. Order wins in 2016 was rather low at S$500m. 
  • We expect Keppel to secure S$1.5bn worth of new orders this year. Orderbook (excluding S$4bn Sete rigs) has dwindled to S$3.7bn, from S$5.1bn as at end-2015 and S$4.1bn a quarter ago.


Property business remains the silver lining. 

  • Management remains optimistic of stronger home sales in China and Vietnam with 19k launch-ready homes in its pipeline through 2019, representing 3.3x of home sales in 2016. 
  • The consolidation of Keppel’s asset management businesses under Keppel Capital that were completed in July 2016 strengthen its capital recycling platform and provide a steady stream of recurring income for the group.


Management emphasised that Data Centres continue to be an important growth business for Keppel. 

  • In Apr-2017, Keppel Data Centres and Hong Kong’s PCCW Global launched the PCCW Global-Keppel International Carrier and Exchange in Hong Kong. The collaboration leverages on PCCW Global’s extensive global network connectivity and marks the expansion of Keppel T&T’s data centre footprint into Hong Kong. 


Valuation

  • We are leaving our forecasts intact for now, as headline profit made up 29% of our full year estimate. We will fine-tune our estimate as we get more clarity on O&M’s project status.
  • Our TP of S$6.00 is based on sum-of-parts : 
    1. O&M segment is valued at 2x P/BV, 
    2. infrastructure at 10x PE on FY16F earnings, 
    3. property segment at 0.85x P/BV, 
    4. Investment (Keppel Capital) at 15x PATMI, and 
    5. market values/estimated fair values are used for listed subsidiaries. 
  • Our TP translates to 0.9x FY17 P/BV.


Key Risks to Our View

  • O&M segment could fare worse than expected. We forecast revenues from Keppel O&M falling to the ~S$3-4bn levels in each of FY17 and FY18, from S$7-8bn p.a. during FY12-14. 
  • The continued depletion of its orderbook, and deferments/cancellations could pose downside risks to our forecast.




Pei Hwa HO DBS Vickers | http://www.dbsvickers.com/ 2017-04-21
DBS Vickers SGX Stock Analyst Report HOLD Maintain HOLD 6.000 Same 6.000



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