Penny stocks still languishing despite consolidation

The share consolidations that numerous mainboard-listed firms have undergone thus far to comply with Singapore Exchange’s minimum trading price (MTP) rule seem to have largely turned out to be a case of one step forward, two steps back - hardly the most encouraging sign for the many others that may soon have to take a similar path.

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Guanyu said…
Penny stocks still languishing despite consolidation

Melissa Tan, Business Times
14 July 2015

The share consolidations that numerous mainboard-listed firms have undergone thus far to comply with Singapore Exchange’s minimum trading price (MTP) rule seem to have largely turned out to be a case of one step forward, two steps back - hardly the most encouraging sign for the many others that may soon have to take a similar path.

The majority of the stocks that recently finished MTP-related consolidations have lost ground following the move, with a handful slipping precariously close to the 20-cent MTP threshold and at least one still languishing in the single-digit price range.

The fact that one round of consolidation failed to do the trick would not be a good sign for companies in that danger zone, industry watchers noted, adding that those that fail to make the cut might end up reduced to mere shells for backdoor listings.

The dismal outcomes that have resulted from the MTP rule - a fairly new one that kicked in at the start of March 2015 - could well add another prickly issue to the already thorny bundle of problems that Singapore Exchange’s new chief executive, Loh Boon Chye, will inherit when he takes over on Tuesday.

Though SGX had said in May that firms unable to meet MTP solely through consolidation will have to take other steps such as improving their business fundamentals, some analysts have since pointed out that this is easier said than done, especially given the uncertainty and volatility of current market conditions.

About two-thirds or 25 out of the 37 companies on the SGX mainboard that have completed MTP-related share consolidations to date have shed value over the period from the trading day before the consolidated stock’s effective trading date (ETD) to June 30, 2015, according to Bloomberg data compiled by BT.

There were 10 gainers too, which indicates that consolidation may have helped some firms, but those were in the minority. Of the remaining two, Jacks International was not traded during the period and was therefore unchanged while Lion Asiapac could not be counted since its ETD of July 6 lay outside the comparison timeframe.

Among the losers, manufacturer- turned-property developer Amplefield was still below S$0.20 as at June 30 despite having done a 10:1 consolidation, while three other firms were stuck in the S$0.20-0.30 price range. These were aerospace engineering and logistics solutions provider A-Sonic Aerospace, knitted fabric maker China Taisan and HL Global Enterprises, a real estate investment holding company under the Hong Leong umbrella.

The biggest percentage drop over the timeframe was 44.7 per cent for Chinese firm United Food Holdings, a soyabean product maker that did a 10:1 consolidation in June. Other more recent examples such as China Fibretech’s sharp plunge from S$1.50 pre-consolidation to as low as S$0.59 last Wednesday alongside China’s stockmarket meltdown have also led some market participants to question the wisdom of the MTP rule.

Firms struggling to keep their stock price comfortably above the MTP do have several options, some industry watchers said, while noting that further consolidation might not benefit shareholders.

“For companies that have consolidated once and still fallen below S$0.20 per share, the further erosion of market value is likely to be at least 30 per cent or more. For the board to implement another share consolidation in the absence or an acquisition, capital-raising or other fundamental positive development of its core business would not be an advisable or rational response,” said Mark Liew, managing director at PrimePartners Corporate Finance.

“The continued erosion of value shows investors’ lack of confidence in the company, especially if controlling or majority shareholders do not buy additional shares during the slide.”
Guanyu said…
Law firm Drew & Napier deputy managing director Sin Boon Ann said that such companies could look at opportunities to restructure, such as buying value-accretive assets or changing control through a reverse takeover (RTO). More investor relations work and research coverage could also help, he said, adding: “Some companies are just misunderstood . . . it’s a misconception to think that just because the share price is low, the management is bad.”

KPMG Singapore capital markets head Roger Tay said that such firms could become “possible targets for RTO, if they have a clean history and their controlling shareholders are prepared to dilute their equity interest in their company”.

However, some industry watchers pointed out that the standard prescription of doing acquisitions or RTOs to boost a stock’s value would probably be challenging in practice for firms that have trouble meeting MTP.

Theoretically, business acquisitions or RTOs “sound like viable ideas”, said one analyst who declined to be named. “But it must be remembered that companies with low stock prices typically do not boast of steady cashflows and may find it hard to conduct such strategies.”

Others said that such firms would probably have tried various ways to improve their business fundamentals and image before going through the hassle of a share consolidation, noting that finding high-quality investments or staging a dramatic turnaround amid the current uncertain market conditions would be tough.

“There are the textbook answers, but I’m sure these have already been explored or are being explored,” said CMC market strategist Nicholas Teo.

“Nobody goes out there and tries to present weak fundamentals. Consolidation demands a lot of effort . . . I think a lot of shareholders would find having to go through this process laborious and tedious, wasting time and money, and I think companies would feel this too.”

He added that listed firms are essentially competing for equity capital funding but a lot of money is in private equity (PE) right now, which has been more vibrant compared with the listed company space partly due to PE having less red tape.

“Some of these (listed) companies may be taken off the market eventually.”

Mr Liew said that “given the number of listed companies that are finding themselves in this situation, identifying good quality businesses is also challenging as the listings market in Singapore is seeing lower levels of activity currently”.

“Addressing these various inter-related issues will take some time.”
Unknown said…
Hey Guanyu, investing in SGX using intraday SGX signals is profitable rather than playing with pennies.

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