Bursa highlights for Wed, Feb 3

Bursa highlights logo for Star Online (Business).

Bursa highlights on Feb 3

Public Bank Bhd, the first of the country’s top three largest banks to announce its full-year results, set a positive benchmark by posting a 12% jump in annual net profit to RM5.06bil, with earnings per share rising from RM1.24 to RM1.31. It is rewarding shareholders with a second interim dividend of 32 sen per share, bringing the full-year dividend to 56 sen (54 sen for FY14). Read more

AirAsia Bhd is increasing back its stake in Think BIG Digital Sdn Bhd, which manages the AirAsia BIG global loyalty programme, after paring down its shareholding in 2014 in order to bring in a new equity partner, Canada-based loyalty analytics firm Aimia. AirAsia plans to buy up to a 25.8% stake from the other Think BIG shareholder, Tune Money, for RM101.5mil. This will turn Think BIG into a subsidiary. But first it must get Aimia’s written approval. Read more  

Last year the tough operating environment in the upstream oil and gas segment continued to affect Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Bhd (MMHE), a MISC Bhd subsidiary involved in building offshore/onshore oil & gas structures and repairing marine vessels. MMHE not only swung into a loss in the fourth quarter of 2015 -- its first quarterly loss in more than three years -- but its earnings for the entire year fell by nearly two-thirds. In 2014, its earnings had already declined by close to half. Read more

Port operator Westports Holdings Bhd posted slightly lower earnings of RM504.86mil in the financial year ended Dec 31, 2015 due to higher tax expenses despite much higher pre-tax profit and revenue. Read more

Lion Diversified Holdings’ unit Excel Step Investments Ltd got a respite in December last year when its bondholders agreed to waive its event of default and push back the due date of its 10th scheduled partial redemption payment (amounting to US$4mil) to Jan 31. Lion Div had told Bursa on Dec 21 that “no event of default is continuing”; little did it know that Excel would also fail to meet the new deadline. Read more

My EG Services Bhd (MyEG), which has delivered government-related electronic services, has received a courier service licence from the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (the postal industry comes under the MCMC’s purview too, for those who are not aware). Read more 

Piling and foundation specialist Ikhmas Jaya Group Bhd is participating in Malacca’s tourism-related works in Ayer Keroh to ease traffic flow especially during the weekends and festive seasons. The subcontract from Kayangan Kemas is worth RM65.3mil. Read more