SARAWAK PLANTATION Another Solid Quarter






SARAWAK PLANTATION Another Solid Quarter


PUBLIC INVESTMENT BANK

PublicInvest Research Results Review

KDN PP17686/03/2013 (032117)

Friday, August 22, 2025

SARAWAK PLANTATION Another Solid Quarter

SARAWAK PLANTATION BERHAD

Another Solid Quarter

Neutral

DESCRIPTION

One of the Sarawak-based pioneer palm oil plantation companies with 2 palm oil mills in Niah and Mukah

12-month Target Price RM2.86
Current Price RM2.67
Expected Return +7.1%
Previous Target Price RM2.86
Market Main
Sector Plantation
Bursa Code 5135
Bloomberg Ticker SPLB MK
Shariah-compliant Yes

SHARE PRICE CHART

52 Week Range (RM) 2.11-2.70
3-Month Average Vol (‘000) 41.0

SHARE PRICE PERFORMANCE

1M 3M 6M
Absolute Returns 5.6 10.0 14.2
Relative Returns -0.1 5.0 13.2

KEY STOCK DATA

Market Capitalisation (RMm) 733.9
No. of Shares (m) 279.0

MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS

%
Ta Ann Holdings Bhd 29.4
State Financial Secretary 25.5
Datuk Wong Kuo Hea 0.5

Excluding the gain on the fair value of biological assets amounting to RM13.1m and minority interests (RM0.6m), Sarawak Plantation reported 1HFY25 core earnings of RM39.8m, accounting for 50.4% and 50.3% of our and the street’s full-year expectations, respectively. The steady results were mainly boosted by an increase in CPO prices and FFB production. However, in view of the limited upside potential, we downgrade the stock to Neutral with an unchanged TP of RM2.86 based on 10x FY26 EPS. No dividend was declared for the quarter.

  • 2QFY25 revenue (QoQ: -3.4%, YoY: -0.4%). Topline was marginally lower at RM130.9m, supported by a marginal increase in CPO prices and higher FFB production. Meanwhile, 2QFY25 FFB production climbed 5.3% YoY to 84,510mt (1HFY25: 110,927mt, YoY: -25.8%) while third-party purchase FFB retreated 22.8% to 56.798mt. 2QFY25 average CPO price rose from RM4,007/mt to RM4,039/mt (1HFY25: R4,368/mt, YoY: +10.5%%) while average palm kernel price jumped 41% YoY to RM3,175/mt (1HFY25: RM3,305/mt. YoY: +53.5%). 2QFY25 FFB yield improved from 3.81mt/ha to 4.32mt/ha while OER expanded from 19.64% to 19.87%.
  • 2QFY25 core earnings were up 7% YoY. Excluding the gain on fair value of biological assets (RM9m) and minority interest (RM0.3m), the group’s core earnings increased from RM19m to RM20.3m, led by lower production costs. 2QFY25 all-in CPO production cost averaged at RM3,000/mt (including PK credit of RM680/mt) and 1HFY25 CPO production cost was around RM3,100/mt (PK credit: RM700/mt)
  • Outlook. The weather has turned dry since April, resulting in lower FFB in the last 2 months due to failure in crop formation. Nevertheless, the production is expected to pick up this month before reaching the peak in Oct. Given the lower-than-expected FFB production for the 1H, management has reduced its full-year production growth by 5% to 380,000mt. Meanwhile, about 1,600ha was replanted in 1H and it is on track to complete the replanting target of 2,800ha for this year. Another 1,000ha was declared mature in July, bringing the harvestable area to 20,000ha while immature area stood at 8,500ha. The group recently managed to recovered 15ha of encumbered area, bringing the outstanding encumbered area to 2,000ha. On the fertiliser application, round 1 was fully completed while round 2 only achieved 60% while round 3 is expected to see a strong catch up. Fertiliser prices have seen an uptick across various components with Nitrate of Potassium (45% of total application) rising from RM1300 to RM1700/mt, compound (20% of total application) up from RM1,300 to RM1700, urea (15% of total application) up from RM1,700 to RM2,300/mt while phosphate prices remained steady. With the i) higher minimum wage, ii) introduction of EPF for foreign workers and, iii) new state labour levy of RM1,800, labour costs are projected to be higher by 3-5% and the impact on the group bottomline is less than 2%. Lastly, management plans to double the seed production at its nursery to cater for its in-house requirement and Ta Ann’s demand.

KEY FINANCIAL SUMMARY

FYE Dec (RM m) 2023A 2024A 2025F 2026F 2027F CAGR
Revenue 570.6 551.4 549.9 551.5 554.5 0.2%
Gross Profit 133.0 150.0 151.2 152.8 154.2 0.9%
Pre-tax Profit 87.5 124.5 104.0 105.4 107.6 -4.7%
Core Net Profit 69.2 74.9 79.0 80.1 81.8 3.0%
EPS (Sen) 24.7 26.8 28.2 28.6 29.2 3.0%
P/E (x) 10.8 10.0 9.5 9.3 9.1
DPS (Sen) 10.0 20.0 15.0 15.0 15.0
Dividend Yield (%) 3.7 7.5 5.6 5.6 5.6

Source: Company, PublicInvest Research estimates

Table 1: Results Summary

FY Dec (RM’m) 2Q25 2Q24 1Q25 QoQ chg (%) YoY chg (%) FY25 FY24 YoY chg (%) Comments
Revenue 130.9 131.4 135.5 -3.4 -0.4 266.5 258.7 3.0 Led by an increase in FFB production and CPO prices
Cost of sales -93.5 -97.3 -97.5 -4.1 -3.9 -191.0 -199.7 -4.4
Gross profit 37.4 34.1 38.0 -1.6 9.7 75.5 59.0 28.0
Other income 0.5 1.4 0.5 0.0 -64.3 1.0 2.4 -58.3
Distribution expenses -7.2 -7.7 -8.5 -15.3 -6.5 -15.8 -15.0 5.3
Administrative expenses -4.9 -3.8 -4.5 8.9 28.9 -9.4 -8.3 13.3
Operating profit 25.8 24.0 25.5 1.2 7.5 51.3 38.1 34.6
Finance income 2.0 1.5 1.7 17.6 33.3 3.6 2.9 24.1
Finance costs -0.1 0.0 -0.1 -0.3 -0.1
Change in fair value of biological assets & others 9.0 8.9 4.0 >100 1.1 13.1 19.9 -34.2
Pre-tax profit 36.7 34.4 31.1 18.0 6.7 67.7 60.8 11.3
Income tax -9.5 -8.5 -8.1 17.3 11.8 -17.6 -15.6 12.8
Net profit 27.2 25.9 23.0 18.3 5.0 50.1 45.2 10.8
Core profit 20.3 19.0 17.2 18.0 6.8 39.8 30.0 32.7 After stripping out change in fair value of biological assets
Core EPS (sen) 7.3 6.8 6.1 18.0 6.8 14.2 10.7 32.7
DPS (sen) 0.0 0.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 No dividend was declared for the quarter
Gross Margin (%) 28.6 26.0 28.0 28.3 22.8
Pre-tax Margin (%) 28.0 26.2 23.0 25.4 23.5
Net Margin (%) 20.8 19.7 17.0 18.8 17.5
Effective tax rate (%) 25.9 24.7 26.0 26.0 25.7
Average CPO prices (RM/mt ex-mill) 4,039 4,007 4,728 -14.6 0.8 4,368 3,952 10.5
Palm Kernel Price (RM/mt) 3,175 2,253 3,451 -8.0 40.9 3,305 2,156 53.3
FFB production (mt) 84,510 80,267 73,940 14.3 5.3 158,450 149,938 5.7
CPO production (mt) 24,495 26,962 22,106 10.8 -9.1 46,601 53,566 -13.0
Palm kernel production (mt) 5,311 5,911 4,796 10.7 -10.2 10,107 11,695 -13.6

Source: Company, PublicInvest Research

KEY FINANCIAL DATA

INCOME STATEMENT DATA

FYE Dec (RMm) 2023A 2024A 2025F 2026F 2027F
Revenue 570.6 551.4 549.9 551.5 554.5
Gross Profit 133.0 150.0 151.2 152.8 154.2
EBIT 87.5 100.3 98.1 99.5 100.6
Net finance income/ (cost) 4.3 6.0 5.9 5.9 7.1
Others 0.0 18.2 0.0 0.0 0.0
Pre-tax Profit 87.5 124.5 104.0 105.4 107.6
Income Tax -22.6 -31.5 -24.9 -25.3 -25.8
Effective Tax Rate (%) 25.8 25.3 24.0 24.0 24.0
Core Net Profit 69.2 74.9 79.0 80.1 81.8

Growth

2023A 2024A 2025F 2026F 2027F
Revenue (%) -19.7 -3.4 -0.3 0.3 0.5
Gross Profit (%) -36.8 14.6 -2.2 1.4 1.1
Core Net Profit (%) -33.8 8.2 5.5 1.3 2.2

Source: Company, PublicInvest Research estimates

BALANCE SHEET DATA

FYE Dec (RMm) 2023A 2024A 2025F 2026F 2027F
Fixed Assets 261.8 260.0 296.7 314.7 331.5
Other Long-term Assets 430.6 460.5 460.5 460.5 460.5
Cash At Bank 114.6 104.7 104.8 124.8 147.9
Other Current Assets 147.6 204.9 204.7 204.7 204.9
Total Assets 954.6 1,030.1 1,066.6 1,104.8 1,144.8
ST Borrowings 1.1 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7
LT Borrowings 8.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0
Trade payables 57.4 65.7 65.3 65.3 65.5
Other Liabilities 145.5 140.1 140.1 140.1 140.1
Total Liabilities 212.0 246.5 246.1 246.1 246.3
Shareholders’ Equity & Minority 742.6 783.6 820.6 858.7 898.5
Total Equity and Liabilities 954.6 1,030.1 1,066.6 1,104.8 1,144.8

Source: Company, PublicInvest Research estimates

PER SHARE DATA & RATIOS

FYE Dec (RMm) 2023A 2024A 2025F 2026F 2027F
Book Value Per Share 2.7 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.2
NTA Per Share 2.7 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.2
EPS (Sen) 24.7 26.8 28.2 28.6 29.2
DPS (Sen) 10.0 20.0 15.0 15.0 15.0
Payout Ratio (%) 40.5 74.8 53.2 52.5 51.3
ROA (%) 6.8 9.0 7.4 7.2 7.1
ROE (%) 8.7 11.9 9.6 9.3 9.1

Source: Company, PublicInvest Research estimates

Chong Hoe Leong

T 603 2268 3015

F 603 2268 3014

E chonghoeleong@publicinvestbank.com.my

Source: Company, PublicInvest Research estimates

RATING CLASSIFICATION

STOCKS

OUTPERFORM
The stock return is expected to exceed a relevant benchmark’s total of 10% or higher over the next 12months.
NEUTRAL
The stock return is expected to be within +/- 10% of a relevant benchmark’s return over the next 12 months.
UNDERPERFORM
The stock return is expected to be below a relevant benchmark’s return by -10% over the next 12 months.
TRADING BUY
The stock return is expected to exceed a relevant benchmark’s return by 5% or higher over the next 3 months but the underlying fundamentals are not strong enough to warrant an Outperform call.
TRADING SELL
The stock return is expected to be below a relevant benchmark’s return by -5% or more over the next 3 months.
NOT RATED
The stock is not within regular research coverage.

SECTOR

OVERWEIGHT
The sector is expected to outperform a relevant benchmark over the next 12 months.
NEUTRAL
The sector is expected to perform in line with a relevant benchmark over the next 12 months.
UNDERWEIGHT
The sector is expected to underperform a relevant benchmark over the next 12 months.

DISCLAIMER

This document has been prepared solely for information and private circulation only. It is for distribution under such circumstances as may be permitted by applicable law. The information contained herein is prepared from data and sources believed to be reliable at the time of issue of this document. The views/opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice and solely reflects the personal views of the analyst(s) acting in his/her capacity as employee of Public Investment Bank Berhad (“PIVB”). PIVB does not make any guarantee, representations or warranty neither expressed or implied nor accepts any responsibility or liability as to its fairness liability adequacy, completeness or correctness of any such information and opinion contained herein. No reliance upon such statement or usage by the addressee/anyone shall give rise to any claim/liability for loss of damage against PIVB, Public Bank Berhad, its affiliates and related companies, directors, officers, connected persons/employees, associates or agents.

This document is not and should not be construed or considered as an offer, recommendation, invitation or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe or sell any securities, related investments or financial instruments. Any recommendation in this document does not have regards to the specific investment objectives, financial situation, risk profile and particular needs of any specific persons who receive it. We encourage the addressee of this document to independently evaluate the merits of the information contained herein, consider their own investment objectives, financial situation, particular needs, risks and legal profiles, seek the advice of their, amongst others, tax, accounting, legal, business professionals and financial advisers before participating in any transaction in respect of any of the securities of the company (ies) covered in this document.

PIVB, Public Bank Berhad, our affiliates and related companies, directors, officers, connected persons/employees, associates or agents may own or have positions in the securities of the company(ies) covered in this document or any securities related thereto and may from time to time add or dispose of, or may be materially interested in, any such securities. Further PIVB, Public Bank Berhad, our affiliates and related companies, associates or agents do and/or seek to do business with the company(ies) covered in this document and may from time to time act as market maker or have assumed an underwriting commitment in the securities of such company(ies), may sell them or buy them from customers on a principal basis, may have or intend to accommodate credit facilities or other banking services and may also perform or seek to perform investment banking, advisory or underwriting services for or relating to such company(ies) as well as solicit such investment advisory or other services from any entity mentioned in this document. The analyst(s) and associate analyst(s) principally responsible for the preparation of this document may participate in the solicitation of businesses described aforesaid and would receive compensation based upon various factors, including the quality of research, investor client feedback, stock pickings and performance of his/her recommendation and competitive factors. The analyst(s) and associate analyst(s) may also receive compensation or benefit (including gift and company/issuer-sponsored and paid trips in line with the Bank’s policies) in executing his/her duties. Hence, the addressee or any persons reviewing this document should be aware of the foregoing, amongst others, may give rise to real or potential conflicts of interest.

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