Latest news with #ApexSecurities
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Southern Cable likely frontrunner for next wave of data centre cable jobs
KUALA LUMPUR: Southern Cable Group Bhd is poised to clinch a major share of the next wave of power cable contracts linked to at least 10 electricity supply agreements (ESAs) for data centre projects, said an analyst. This follows Tenaga Nasional Bhd's (TNB) recent announcement of five signed ESAs for data centres totalling 666 megawatts (MW) in the first quarter of this year, with another 10 contracts expected to be signed by year-end. Apex Securities analyst Tan Sue Wen said the surge in demand for medium- and high-voltage (MV and HV) power cables is expected to benefit Southern Cable, which operates in a segment with limited competition. "With its entrenched position in the MV and HV cable segments, and limited competition in this space, Southern Cable is well-positioned to capture a large portion of these upcoming infrastructure opportunities," she said in a note. Besides its role in domestic infrastructure, Tan said Southern Cable is also seen as a beneficiary of United States-bound exports, being one of the few local cable suppliers with distribution access to the American market. Apex Securities has raised its earnings forecast for Southern Cable by 21 per cent across financial years 2025 to 2027, citing robust margin expansion and resilient demand for power cables. The group's power segment, which accounts for the bulk of its revenue, saw gross profit more than double year-on-year in the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, as demand for MV and HV cables surged. These products made up over 30 per cent of the segment's revenue during the quarter, according to the research firm. Excluding a one-off forex loss, core net profit rose 113.7 per cent to RM29.1 million in the quarter, accounting for 28 per cent of the full-year forecast, a performance it described as exceeding expectations. "We expect stronger performance in the remaining quarters of the financial year. The outperformance was largely due to stronger-than-anticipated margins of power cables and wires in the power segment," it said. Southern Cable has RM1.3 billion worth of orders in hand, about 90 per cent of which are for power cables, which Apex Securities believes provides solid earnings visibility for the rest of the year. In line with the revised earnings outlook, the firm raised its target price for the group to RM1.72 from RM1.42 and reiterated a 'Buy' call, noting the stock's undemanding valuation at 12 times 2025 forecast earnings. "Risks to the outlook include a spike in raw material prices such as copper and steel, and the potential failure to secure new contracts," it added.
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Bursa bucks regional trend to close lower amid lack of fresh local leads
KUALA LUMPUR : Bursa Malaysia bucked the regional trend to settle lower today, as selling pressure in selected banking heavyweights dampened sentiment in the absence of fresh domestic catalysts, coupled with an unexciting batch of corporate earnings releases, said an analyst. Apex Securities Bhd head of research Kenneth Leong expects that the key index may attempt to find stability above the 1,500 level on the back of potential bargain hunting, going forward. 'Still, we believe that any potential gains could be capped by the resumption of foreign funds outflow. 'Looking ahead, investors will be keeping a close watch on the second reading of the US first-quarter 2025 gross domestic product data to be released later tonight,' he told Bernama. Domestically, Leong said the key focus remains on the ongoing corporate earnings releases. Meanwhile, UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd head of investment research Sedek Jantan said the release of the latest US Federal Reserve (Fed) minutes proved pivotal. 'The Fed's reaffirmation of its cautious stance – highlighting persistent inflationary pressures and resilient US macroeconomic data – has effectively tempered market expectations for a near-term rate cut. 'This recalibration in rate outlook translated into upward pressure on global yields, a dynamic to which Malaysia's banking-heavy benchmark index remains acutely sensitive,' he told Bernama. Sedek said the uplift in regional equities was underpinned by a US federal court's decision to block president Donald Trump's proposed 'Liberation Day' tariffs, which materially improved global risk appetite. However, domestic sentiment remained subdued, weighed down by profit-taking in heavyweight banking counters. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 4.50 points, or 0.29%, to 1,518.98 from yesterday's close of 1,523.48. The benchmark index opened 2.12 points higher at 1,525.60 and fluctuated between 1,518.38 and 1,526.94 throughout the day. In the broader market, decliners beat gainers 478 to 466, while 460 counters were unchanged, 982 untraded and 110 suspended. Turnover expanded to 3.30 billion units worth RM2.22 billion compared with yesterday's 2.50 billion units worth RM2.03 billion. Among heavyweights, Maybank gained 3 sen to RM9.87 and CIMB increased 1 sen to RM6.88. Public Bank and Tenaga Nasional fell 2 sen each to RM4.31 and RM14.08 respectively, while IHH Healthcare was flat at RM6.91. As for active stocks, Permaju inched down 0.5 sen to 1 sen and NationGate dropped 14 sen to RM1.44, while Velesto and NexG added 1 sen each to 18.5 sen and 37.5 sen respectively. MyEG was flat at 89 sen. On the index board, the FBM Emas Index slid 14.84 points to 11,382.33, the FBM ACE Index rose 42.82 points to 4,592.16, but the FBMT 100 Index fell 19.34 points to 11,142.02. The FBM Emas Shariah Index lost 9.68 points to 11,365.83 while the FBM 70 Index perked up 25.65 points to 16,332.31. By sector, the financial services index slipped 64.33 points to 17,893.57, the industrial products and services index edged up 0.32 of-a-point to 153.02, the energy index put on 1.67 points to 708.18, while the plantation index added 1.40 points to 7,293.95. The Main Market volume improved to 1.56 billion units valued at RM1.93 billion against yesterday's 1.34 billion units valued at RM1.80 billion. Warrants turnover swelled to 1.37 billion units worth RM164.04 million from 815.91 million units worth RM113.60 million previously. The ACE Market volume advanced to 364.60 million shares worth RM120.88 million from 346.43 million shares worth RM119.44 million yesterday. Consumer products and services counters accounted for 354.51 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (317.02 million), construction (98.30 million), technology (235.43 million), SPAC (nil), financial services (70.33 million), property (170.33 million), plantation (14.93 million), REITs (88.90 million), closed/fund (2,700), energy (150.03 million), healthcare (36.24 million), telecommunications and media (56.54 million), transportation and logistics (15.65 million), utilities (34.86 million), and business trusts (23,400).
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Bursa ends lower on banking drag, bucks regional trend despite higher trading volume
KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — Bursa Malaysia bucked the regional trend to settle lower on Thursday, as selling pressure in selected banking heavyweights dampened sentiment, in the absence of fresh domestic catalysts coupled with an unexciting batch of corporate earnings releases, said an analyst. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 4.50 points, or 0.29 per cent, to 1,518.98 from Wednesday's close of 1,523.48. The benchmark index opened 2.12 points higher at 1,525.60 and fluctuated between 1,518.38 and 1,526.94 throughout the day. In the broader market, decliners beat gainers 478 to 466, while 460 counters were unchanged, 982 untraded and 110 suspended. Turnover expanded to 3.30 billion units worth RM2.22 billion compared with Wednesday's 2.50 billion units worth RM2.03 billion. Apex Securities Bhd head of research Kenneth Leong expects that the key index may attempt to find stability above the 1,500 level on the back of potential bargain hunting, going forward. 'Still, we believe that any potential gains could be capped by the resumption of foreign funds outflow. 'Looking ahead, investors will be keeping a close watch on the second reading of the US first-quarter 2025 gross domestic product data to be released later tonight,' he told Bernama. Domestically, Leong said the key focus remains on the ongoing corporate earnings releases. Meanwhile, UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd head of investment research Mohd Sedek Jantan said the release of the latest US Federal Reserve (Fed) minutes proved pivotal. 'The Fed's reaffirmation of its cautious stance—highlighting persistent inflationary pressures and resilient US macroeconomic data—has effectively tempered market expectations for a near-term rate cut.' 'This recalibration in rate outlook translated into upward pressure on global yields, a dynamic to which Malaysia's banking-heavy benchmark index remains acutely sensitive,' he told Bernama. Among heavyweights, Maybank gained three sen to RM9.87 and CIMB increased one sen to RM6.88. Public Bank and Tenaga Nasional fell two sen each to RM4.31 and RM14.08 respectively, while IHH Healthcare was flat at RM6.91. As for active stocks, Permaju inched down half-a-sen to one sen and Nationgate dropped 14 sen to RM1.44, while Velesto and NexG added one sen each to 18.5 sen and 37.5 sen respectively. MYEG was flat at 89 sen. On the index board, the FBM Emas Index slid 14.84 points to 11,382.33, the FBM ACE Index rose 42.82 points to 4,592.16, but the FBMT 100 Index fell 19.34 points to 11,142.02. The FBM Emas Shariah Index lost 9.68 points to 11,365.83 while the FBM 70 Index perked up 25.65 points to 16,332.31. By sector, the Financial Services Index slipped 64.33 points to 17,893.57, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.32 of-a-point to 153.02, the Energy Index put on 1.67 points to 708.18, while the Plantation Index added 1.40 points to 7,293.95. The Main Market volume improved to 1.56 billion units valued at RM1.93 billion against Wednesday's 1.34 billion units valued at RM1.80 billion. Warrants turnover swelled to 1.37 billion units worth RM164.04 million from 815.91 million units worth RM113.60 million previously. The ACE Market volume advanced to 364.60 million shares worth RM120.88 million from 346.43 million shares worth RM119.44 million yesterday. Consumer products and services counters accounted for 354.51 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (317.02 million), construction (98.30 million), technology (235.43 million), SPAC (nil), financial services (70.33 million), property (170.33 million), plantation (14.93 million), REITs (88.90 million), closed/fund (2,700), energy (150.03 million), healthcare (36.24 million), telecommunications and media (56.54 million), transportation and logistics (15.65 million), utilities (34.86 million), and business trusts (23,400). — Bernama
