Singapore stock watch: Keppel, Starhub, SGX, UOL, CDLHT, ARA H-Trust, Frasers Hospitality, Sabana, Koh Brothers

The Singapore Exchange Centre in Shenton Way. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) - The following companies saw new developments that may affect trading of their shares on Friday (Jan 24):

Keppel Corporation: It reported 41.5 per cent higher net earnings at $191.4 million for the fourth quarter ended December, bolstered by stronger performance from offshore and marine, property and investments divisions. The counter closed five cents or 0.74 per cent lower at $6.74 on Thursday, before the results were released.

Starhub: Starhub and M1 on Thursday announced an exclusive pact to jointly bid for a 5G network licence, but did not specify which type of operating licence they will be vying for. Before the announcement, StarHub shares closed at $1.49, up $0.02 or 1.36 per cent.

Singapore Exchange (SGX): It is investing up to 186 million euros (S$280 million) in cash for a 93 per cent stake in Scientific Beta, a smart beta index firm, as the bourse looks to accelerate its data, connectivity and indices business. On Thursday, SGX also reported Q2 FY2020 net profit of $99 million, up 3 per cent from $96.5 million a year ago. SGX shares closed up $0.04 or 0.5 per cent to $8.82 on Thursday, before the Scientific Beta announcement and its results were released.

UOL Group: The company said on Thursday that it has entered into an agreement to buy a 154-room hotel in Jakarta from PT Success Venture Hotel Investments for US$50 million. UOL shares closed at $8.25 on Thursday before the announcement, down $0.08 or 0.96 per cent.

CDL Hospitality Trusts (CDLHT): Its stapled securityholders have voted in favour of its two proposed hotel deals at an extraordinary general meeting. Stapled securities of CDLHT closed flat at $1.64 on Thursday.

ARA US Hospitality Trust (ARA H-Trust): The hospitality stapled group has established an $800 million stapled debt issuance programme for notes and perpetual securities, it said on Friday morning. ARA H-Trust stapled securities closed unchanged at US$0.865 on Thursday.

Frasers Hospitality Trust: It posted a first-quarter distribution per stapled security (DPS) of 1.3301 cents, up from 1.2542 cents a year ago, as it recorded better performance across its portfolio. The counter closed flat at 71.5 cents on Thursday, before the results were released.

Sabana Shari'ah Compliant Industrial Real Estate Investment Trust (Sabana Reit): On Thursday after trading hours, Sabana Reit reported a fourth-quarter distribution per unit (DPU) of 0.77 cent for the three months ended Dec 31, up 8.5 per cent from 0.71 cent a year ago. Units in Sabana Reit closed flat at $0.465 on Thursday.

Koh Brothers Group: The mainboard-listed construction player saw a 29 per cent rise in net profit to $2.4 million for its fourth quarter from $1.9 million a year ago. This came on the back of higher share of profit from associated companies and joint ventures and other gains, as well as lower finance costs. Shares of Koh Brothers Group closed up $0.005 or 2.2 per cent to $0.23 on Thursday, before the results were released.

Koh Brothers Eco Engineering: The company is exploring the possibility of spinning off its majority-owned indirect subsidiary Oiltek and listing it on either the Catalist board of the Singapore Exchange, or on Bursa Malaysia's ACE Market. It separately announced a net profit of $2.9 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, up 44 per cent from a year ago. The counter closed at $0.05 on Thursday before the announcements were made, down 0.2 cent or 3.85 per cent.

Lian Beng Group: The mainboard-listed construction and civil engineering services firm is looking to dispose of its 40 per cent stake in United E&P (UEP) for $9.4 million. On Thursday night, Lian Beng announced it had signed a sale and purchase agreement with KKC Investment Holding, an unrelated third party, for the deal. Shares of Lian Beng fell 0.5 cent or 0.9 per cent to close at 53 cents on Thursday.

Tuan Sing Holdings: Its net profit slumped 73 per cent to $31.4 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2019 due to lower fair-value adjustment, the company said on Thursday. The counter closed at 32.5 cents on Thursday before its results were released, down 0.5 cent or 1.52 per cent.

Synagie Corporation: The Catalist-listed firm said on Thursday evening that it has come to a full and final settlement of all claims with a third-party service provider. Synagie shares closed at 11.7 cents on Thursday, down 0.3 cent or 2.5 per cent.

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