Silverlake Axis - RHB Invest 2019-11-18: Tax & Higher Costs Weigh In; Still NEUTRAL

SILVERLAKE AXIS LTD (SGX:5CP)

Silverlake Axis - Tax & Higher Costs Weigh In; Still NEUTRAL

Downgrade to NEUTRAL from Buy, new DCF-backed Target Price of SGD0.46 from SGD0.56, 7% upside with c.7% FY20F (Jun) yield. See Silverlake Axis Share Price; Silverlake Axis Target Price.
SILVERLAKE AXIS (SGX:5CP)’s 1QFY20 PATMI fell 19% y-o-y, mainly on higher administrative expenses and finance costs. See Silverlake Axis Announcements.

While we wait for large-sized contracts to be won, we take a conservative approach and downgrade our call.
On higher-than-expected costs, we also cut FY20F earnings by 10%, which results in a lower target price.

Management said it is keen on rewarding shareholders with better dividends. Historically, the company has paid > 80% of earnings as dividends. However, due to the drop in earnings, dividends are likely to decrease unless it wins a large contract. See Silverlake Axis Dividend History.
We expect the dividend payout ratio for FY20F to be around 60-70% of earnings, resulting in a FY20F yield of 6.9%.

As at end-1QFY20, Silverlake Axis's orderbook stood at MYR300, up from in c.MYR290m in end-4QFY19. With banks budgeting for more IT investments, especially in Indonesia and Thailand, we understand management is actively in talks with a few potential new and existing customers.
Silverlake Axis is also confident on securing additional large-sized contracts by end-2019 – this should further contribute towards PATMI growth in FY20-21. However, while waiting for contracts to arrive, we expect earnings to be negatively impacted by higher costs and higher tax rates due to the expiry of the company’s pioneer status.

With the improving fundamentals and stronger earnings growth as at FY19, Silverlake Axis is on track for a decent FY20 – but PATMI will likely be negatively impacted by higher effective tax rates and higher costs.
Large contract wins from Indonesia and Thailand should be the next catalysts for it – in terms of earnings as well as a share price re-rating. Until then, we rate this stock as NEUTRAL, as we conservatively expect weaker earnings ahead.
Key risks: An economic recession and slowdown in banks’ capex spending.

Jarick Seet RHB Securities Research | Lee Cai Ling RHB Invest | https://www.rhbinvest.com.sg/ 2019-11-18

SGX Stock Analyst Report NEUTRAL DOWNGRADE BUY 0.46 DOWN 0.560