CapitaLand - Phillip Securities 2020-05-11: Building Resilience And Looking For Opportunities

CAPITALAND LIMITED (SGX:C31)

CapitaLand - Building Resilience And Looking For Opportunities

Recurring income from fees to provide stable cashflows.
COVID19 impact mitigated by diversification - Commercial and Industrial sectors showing resilience while Lodging and Retail sectors were impacted the most.
We lower our CapitaLand (SGX:C31)'s FY20e revenue by 14.1% as we factor in the lower earnings from the rental rebates offered and weaker lodging revenues.

Maintain BUY with lower Target Price of S$3.94 (previously $4.20), after incorporating the lower revised valuations for the REITs.

Fund management income at $76.5mn was 54.2% higher y-o-y, due to the higher AUM (REITs and PR Funds) of $74.8mn post-combination with ASB.

These two segments make up 21% and 9% of FY19’s EBIT respectively and the number of tenants expected to require tenant support is far less compare to the retail tenants.

Net-debt-to-equity of 0.64x corresponds to c.S$2.4bn debt headroom. Currently, CapitaLand has no covenants attached to their loans, which the management credits to their strong position and good relationships. Lenders continue to keep credit lines open – CapitaLand managed to secure S$400mn by way of two bilateral green loans at lower rates, lowering the Group’s overall implied interest rate from 3.2% to 3.0%.

All 288 units at La Botanical (Xi’an) were sold out withing 4 days after they were launch on 24 March 2020. Residential sales have picked up across China, since sales offices reopened, with units selling at higher prices than units in the same launch.

The restrictions on travel and mobility has impacted these two segments the most. As at the end of April 2020, 52 out of a total of 485 properties owned or operated by the Group remained closed. The management commented that this is expected to put pressure on occupancy levels and RevPAU, which will in turn impact fee income for CapitaLand’s operated properties, and rental income for serviced residence on CapitaLand’s balance sheet.
Despite the long-staying clientele in serviced residence, CapitaLand’s 1Q20 RevPAU’s fell 22%. 1Q20 shopper traffic fell by 10.8% and 52.0% y-o-y in SG and China.

While the group remains positive on Vietnam’s outlook, the longer approval processes has hindered the Group’s ability to replenish the pipeline.

CapitaLand has elected to adopt half-yearly reporting and will be conducting valuations on an annual basis instead of semi-annually.
In China, all 15 malls that were closed during the nationwide lockdown in February have reopened. As at end-April, 85% of tenants have resumed operations. Trades that tend to draw crowds such as entertainment, cinemas and enrichment centres have not gotten the relevant approvals to commence operations. However, the Group has shared that shoppers are still cautious, and footfall has not recovered. In Singapore, c.25% of tenants categorised as essential services remain open during the circuit breaker period (7 April to 1 June 2020).
The development segment experienced delays in construction timelines and an absence of sales due to closure of showrooms during the lockdown period. In Vietnam, domestic and international travel restrictions have resulted in delays in handovers as buyers are prevented from finalising documentation.
Revaluation risk may arise in this uncertain environment. While CapitaLand’s strong cash position means that the Group is not under any pressure to liquidate assets, lower asset values may reduce the pace of capital recycling. Instead, the management is on the lookout to pick up counter-cyclical assets or assets/businesses at good valuations. However, CapitaLand remains committed to their annual divestment target of S$3bn. To date the Group has made gross investments of S$447mn and gross divestments of S$373mn.

We lower our FY20e revenue by 14.1% as we factor in the lower earnings from the rental rebates offered and weaker lodging revenues. Our Target Price for CapitaLand, which is based on a 20% discount to RNAV, was cut by 6.2% from $4.20 to $3.94, after incorporating the lower revised valuations for the REITs.
See CapitaLand Share Price; CapitaLand Target Price; CapitaLand Analyst Reports; CapitaLand Dividend History; CapitaLand Announcements; CapitaLand Latest News.

Natalie Ong Phillip Securities Research | https://www.stocksbnb.com/ 2020-05-11

SGX Stock Analyst Report BUY MAINTAIN BUY 3.94 DOWN 4.200