Latest news with #SunInternational
The Citizen
11-05-2025
- The Citizen
Port Edward: A bridge too far
Wild Coast is closer than you think Speaking this past week to an old high school friend from Johannesburg about my recent trip to Pondoland, he said he'd always wanted to visit the Wild Coast. 'It's just so far,' he almost wailed. The distance between Johannesburg and Port Edward, the KwaZulu-Natal gateway to the Wild Coast is 720km whereas the distance along the N2 between Stellenbosch and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) – a road I frequently travel by motorcycle – is 750km. Nor will the Gauteng-based traveller have to drive through the erstwhile Transkei, a daunting prospect to many, to get there. Port Edward is 30km beyond Margate. A bridge too far? Wild Coast is closer than you think I've never actually visited Port Edward before, even though I've been going to the Wild Coast since I was a child in East London. Port Edward entered my roadtripping gunsight last year while flying low-level back to Durban from Mkambati Game Reserve. I spotted a bare patch of ochre-coloured ground surrounded by lush savannah not far from the Mtamvuna River and asked the pilot what it was. 'That's the world's smallest desert,' he replied. On the north bank of the Mtamvuna is Port Edward and on the south, the Wild Coast Sun ( The bridge over it links KZN and the Eastern Cape. As with Port Edward, I'd never been to the Wild Coast Sun, a Sun International resort that opened in 1981. My first 'memory' of the place was vicarious: watching golfer Bernhard Langer on television driving off the remarkable elevated tee prior to winning the Wild Coast Sun Skins tournament in 1990. What a glorious course, I thought at the time. It still is. Thanks to a confluence of coincidences, Sun International made contact a few months later… …and in mid-March RoseMariè and I drove in the deepening gloom over that bridge my school buddy said was too far (having driven 660km from Bathurst and taken an unplanned detour) and checked into the four-star resort for the first of three nights. What immediately struck me while pushing the luggage trolley to our room was that the place must be enormous because, as luck would have it, our room was one of the farthest from the lifts. I later averaged that distance at around 240 paces; a bit of a marathon when you're to-ing and froing several times a day or have forgotten something in the car. Still, the room looked out over the sea where a full moon was rising. Open the windows to hear the surf, pour a glass of wine, turn off the lights and… bliss. NOW READ: Of tents, muddy puddles and camping fun A resort for all seasons I would strongly suggest making a mid-week booking if you want to make the most of the extensive range of facilities and guest activities, especially those that focus on kids such as the thrilling Wild Waves Water Park or the challenging 18-hole championship golf course. There are 394 rooms in the hotel and our final night – the Friday before a three-day long weekend – saw all but four of them occupied. The main mode of dining is buffet-style and, even when the hotel is packed, service is slick and the food flavourful and impeccably prepared. Rose-Mariè had large portions of lamb curry each night while I opted for an enormous omelette every day at breakfast. The first morning we followed Matt Williams' directions to the Red Desert Nature Reserve ( a private-public initiative between landowners and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. Williams is custodian and part-owner of the 180ha reserve, inside which the actual desert covers less than 11ha and is only 200m wide at its broadest. 'By the time you come across it, you're halfway to the other side,' Rose-Mariè quipped. Williams says desertification 'was caused by human activity starting with early Stone Age people using fire to manufacture implements. 'Much later, Shaka… the famous king of the amaZulu… came this way to raid cattle from the other side of the river. He'd corral them here before heading back north. This caused overgrazing.' The birdlife in the reserve is remarkable and a number of mammal species are present. These include leopard, caracal and spotted genet – all quite elusive – as well as bushbuck, reedbuck, grey and blue duiker. There is a R40 entry fee and it's based on an honesty system whereby visitors can visit the website to buy a ticket or use their phones to scan a QR code at the gate. The day was warm and the sun high when we finished, so RoseMariè and I headed into town for a beer at a beachfront pub-restaurant called The Wreck, which takes its name from the sinking of the Portuguese sailing ship Sao Joao which ran aground in 1552. About 500 of the 600 people on board made it to shore, not knowing the nightmare had only begun. A nearby memorial tells their story. Unearthing ancient wonders The Wild Coast Sun was built between the mouths of two rivers, the Mzamba and Mtamvuna, and it is the beach – specifically at low tide – that has been Benny Mbotho's workplace for the past quarter century. Mbotho is a guide and self-taught palaeontologist who shows hotel guests the panoply of fossils that include trees and ammonites that date 80 million years. The so-called 'petrified forest' is a series of trees carried downriver and embedded in rock by subsequent glacial movement. He also pointed out the remains of 'White Man's Cave' in which many of the Sao Joao survivors took shelter before deciding to trek north to Delagoa Bay (Maputo). According to the Port Edward memorial: 'Ahead of them lay a walk of hundreds of miles during which most succumbed to exposure, heat, exhaustion, thirst and starvation. They were subjected to attacks by wild animals and encounters with indigenous tribes. 'Only 22 survived.' NOW READ: From tents to fridges to lights: How to kick off your next adventure in nature
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Owning 33% shares,institutional owners seem interested in Sun International Limited (JSE:SUI),
Key Insights Significantly high institutional ownership implies Sun International's stock price is sensitive to their trading actions 53% of the business is held by the top 4 shareholders Insiders have sold recently Our free stock report includes 3 warning signs investors should be aware of before investing in Sun International. Read for free now. To get a sense of who is truly in control of Sun International Limited (JSE:SUI), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. With 33% stake, institutions possess the maximum shares in the company. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk). Since institutional have access to huge amounts of capital, their market moves tend to receive a lot of scrutiny by retail or individual investors. Hence, having a considerable amount of institutional money invested in a company is often regarded as a desirable trait. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Sun International, beginning with the chart below. See our latest analysis for Sun International JSE:SUI Ownership Breakdown May 6th 2025 What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Sun International? Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices. We can see that Sun International does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Sun International, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too. JSE:SUI Earnings and Revenue Growth May 6th 2025 We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Sun International. Samuel Sithole is currently the largest shareholder, with 18% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 17% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 11% by the third-largest shareholder. Additionally, the company's CEO Anthony Leeming directly holds 0.5% of the total shares outstanding. On looking further, we found that 53% of the shares are owned by the top 4 shareholders. In other words, these shareholders have a meaningful say in the decisions of the company. While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. While there is some analyst coverage, the company is probably not widely covered. So it could gain more attention, down the track.
The South African
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
Boyband Blue moves South African tour to October
Blue, the iconic British boy band, has officially rescheduled their much-anticipated South African tour to October 2025. The group will now perform at the SunBet Arena, Time Square, on 14 October. All previously purchased tickets remain valid for the new date, so fans can rest easy knowing their spot is secure. The announcement comes as part of Blue's massive 20th anniversary tour, a celebration of two decades of chart-topping hits and performances, according to Sun International. This will be the first time Blue will grace local stages, and the excitement is palpable. 'We can't wait to finally perform for our South African fans,' said band member Simon Webbe. 'You've been waiting a long time. We promise it's going to be a night you'll never forget.' Blue burst onto the global music scene in the early 2000s, quickly becoming one of the UK's top-selling bands. Their string of hits includes All Rise , U Make Me Wanna , Breathe Guilty, and their Elton John collaboration Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word . The latter dominated radio and dance floors around the world. For some South Africans, these songs are more than just catchy tunes-they're the soundtrack to a generation. The SunBet Arena is set to come alive with nostalgia, energy, and Blue's signature harmonies. Doors open at 6 pm, and with the band's loyal following, tickets are expected to sell fast. Prices range from R350 (about £15) for general standing to R850 (about £36) for premium seating. The tiered pricing means early birds can snap up the best deals. If you already have a ticket, you don't need to do anything. Your ticket will be honoured on the new date. Organisers have assured fans that all arrangements will carry over, making the transition as smooth as possible. As the countdown begins, excitement is building across the country. 'We're ready to bring the house down,' said band member Lee Ryan. 'South Africa, you've waited long enough. Let's make this a night to remember!' Don't miss your chance to be part of Blue's historic first South African concert. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Trend Of High Returns At Sun International (JSE:SUI) Has Us Very Interested
What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. With that in mind, the ROCE of Sun International (JSE:SUI) looks great, so lets see what the trend can tell us. We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free. For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Sun International, this is the formula: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.30 = R2.7b ÷ (R14b - R4.5b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2024). Therefore, Sun International has an ROCE of 30%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 20% earned by companies in a similar industry. View our latest analysis for Sun International Above you can see how the current ROCE for Sun International compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Sun International . You'd find it hard not to be impressed with the ROCE trend at Sun International. We found that the returns on capital employed over the last five years have risen by 142%. That's not bad because this tells for every dollar invested (capital employed), the company is increasing the amount earned from that dollar. In regards to capital employed, Sun International appears to been achieving more with less, since the business is using 51% less capital to run its operation. A business that's shrinking its asset base like this isn't usually typical of a soon to be multi-bagger company. On a side note, we noticed that the improvement in ROCE appears to be partly fueled by an increase in current liabilities. Effectively this means that suppliers or short-term creditors are now funding 34% of the business, which is more than it was five years ago. It's worth keeping an eye on this because as the percentage of current liabilities to total assets increases, some aspects of risk also increase. In summary, it's great to see that Sun International has been able to turn things around and earn higher returns on lower amounts of capital. And a remarkable 238% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist. One more thing to note, we've identified 2 warning signs with Sun International and understanding these should be part of your investment process. If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning high returns on equity. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sun International's (JSE:SUI) Shareholders Will Receive A Bigger Dividend Than Last Year
Sun International Limited (JSE:SUI) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 14th of April to ZAR2.37. This takes the dividend yield to 9.6%, which shareholders will be pleased with. Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. The last payment made up 80% of earnings, but cash flows were much higher. Since the dividend is just paying out cash to shareholders, we care more about the cash payout ratio from which we can see plenty is being left over for reinvestment in the business. If the trend of the last few years continues, EPS will grow by 9.4% over the next 12 months. Assuming the dividend continues along the course it has been charting recently, our estimates show the payout ratio being 75% which brings it into quite a comfortable range. Check out our latest analysis for Sun International Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2015, the dividend has gone from ZAR2.08 total annually to ZAR3.98. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 6.7% per annum over that time. A reasonable rate of dividend growth is good to see, but we're wary that the dividend history is not as solid as we'd like, having been cut at least once. Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. It's encouraging to see that Sun International has been growing its earnings per share at 9.4% a year over the past five years. EPS has been growing at a reasonable rate, although with most of the profits being paid out to shareholders, growth prospects could be more limited in the future. Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Sun International will make a great income stock. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks. Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for Sun International that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
