Economy

PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc: Better-Than-Expected Recovery

Published

8 years ago

03/04/2017

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc (PZ) released Q3-16/17 result last month, showing further improvement in profitability (from the loss reported in the first quarter) with 117 percent y/y and 46 percent q/q PAT growth respectively.

The PAT (N1.89 billion) beat our estimate (N764.4 million) by a wide margin, primarily on higher-than-expected revenue (20% variance). The relatively lower COS and opex margins also accounted for the variance between the reported PAT and our estimate.

By revising Q4-16/17 estimate higher, and accounting for the positive surprise in the third quarter, we have increased 2017 PAT to N3.36 billion (previously N1.19 billion).

PZ has implemented aggressive price hikes which, in addition to restoring margin to parity with historical levels, have positioned revenue to grow at the highest since 2009.

But as highlighted in the update on the company’s second quarter result, it is unlikely that PZ will replicate 2017 performance next year. Noting the modest outlook for inflation (especially considering the improvement in the FX environment), we expect producers will temper price hikes from the second half of this year and shift focus towards innovative sales and efficiency drive.

For PZ, stable prices, amid slow volume recovery, especially in the currently challenged Personal Care and Electrical divisions, signal slower revenue growth from the record level achievable in

2017F. We retain our 3.5 percent top-line growth estimate for 2018F.

PZ’s linkage to FX volatility via imports remains substantial, and save for major improvement in NGN/USD exchange rate or the moderation of raw material input prices, there are no visible internal measures that would lower production costs in the short term.

The management has guided to the ongoing backward integration programme to substitute imported CPO with local sourcing as a potential margin enabler, the benefit of which it expects in the medium to long term. In the immediate however, management’s guidance is for a sustainable 22% gross margin. Given our prognosis on costs and pricing, we do not expect gross margin to expand further from the 30 percent average achieved in the last two quarters, and consequently retained our 25 percent average forecast over the short term.

For reference, gross margin dropped to 28 percent in Q3, from 33 percent in Q2, suggesting that PZ may have faced additional cost pressure during the period, given that prices were broadly unchanged.

On 15.2x 2017 FPE, PZ is trading at a discount to Bloomberg’s SSA and Nigerian peer average (although the sample is very shallow), but at premium to the average of Nigerian Foods Products sector.

We roll forward valuation to 2018, revise TP to N14.29 (previously N10.41), and upgrade recommendation to HOLD

http://research.cordros.com/view-reports

Economy

Equity Market Gains 0.75% as Investors Mop up MTN, Others

Published

3 hours ago

22/01/2025

Dipo Olowookere

By Dipo Olowookere

Transactions on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited rallied on Tuesday by 0.75 per cent after investors intensified their demand for local stocks.

It was a tough battle between the bulls and the bears during the session, but the former overcame by a whisker after the bourse recorded 29 appreciating equities and 28 depreciating equities, indicating a positive market breadth index and strong investor sentiment.

The growth posted by Customs Street yesterday could be attributed to the appetite for MTN Nigeria shares, which chalked up 10.00 per cent to settle at N256.30.

SCOA Nigeria appreciated by 9.93 per cent to N2.99, Omatek grew by 9.88 per cent to 89 Kobo, Universal Insurance rose by 8.70 per cent to 75 Kobo, and CAP gained 8.52 per cent to trade at N47.75.

Conversely, Secure Electronic Technology lost 9.88 per cent to quote at 73 Kobo, Abbey Mortgage Bank declined by 9.09 per cent to N3.30, Sunu Assurances tumbled by 8.21 per cent to N6.15, Deap Capital slumped by 7.08 per cent to N1.05, and C&I Leasing depreciated by 6.82 per cent to N4.10.

A total of 440.3 million equities valued at N12.0 billion exchanged hands in 13,087 deals compared with the 1.3 billion equities worth N17.7 billion transacted in 13,891 deals on Monday, representing a decline in the trading volume, value and number of deals by 66.79 per cent, 32.20 per cent and 5.79 per cent, respectively.

Lasaco Assurance ended the session as the most traded stock after it sold 108.1 million units valued at N338.7 million, Access Holdings traded 44.0 million units for N1.1 billion, UBA exchanged 27.9 million units worth N945.7 million, Zenith Bank transacted 26.7 million units for N1.3 billion, and Universal Insurance traded 22.7 million units valued at N16.7 million.

On Tuesday, the insurance, banking and industrial goods sectors jumped by 1.03 per cent, 0.30 per cent, and 0.03 per cent, respectively, and the consumer goods and energy counters lost 0.38 per cent and 0.36 per cent apiece.

The All-Share Index (ASI) went up yesterday by 767.63 points to 103,137.99 points from 102,370.36 points and the market capitalisation increased by N472 billion to N63.333 trillion from N62.861 trillion.

Economy

Nigeria Led Africa’s Upstream Oil, Gas Investments in 2024

Published

20 hours ago

21/01/2025

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria ranked as Africa’s leading destination for upstream oil and gas investment in 2024, new research from market intelligence firm, Wood Mackenzie, has shown, accounting for three out of four Final Investment Decisions (FIDs) announced by global oil and gas majors, totaling $13.5 billion.

The FIDs announced within the Nigerian market included Shell’s $122 million investment in the Iseni Gas Project, TotalEnergies’ $566 million commitment to the Ubeta Gas Project and Shell’s approval of the Bonga North Tranche 1 project valued at around $5 billion.

According to the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Energy, Ms Olu Verheijen, these investments reflected Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to unlock its hydrocarbon potential through investor-friendly policies and strategic global partnerships.

Last year, Nigeria introduced several initiatives to create a conducive environment for oil and gas investors, including new tax incentives aimed at attracting up to $10 billion in natural gas investments.

Nigeria, which is Africa’s largest oil producer, also offered tax relief for gas investors, reducing corporate income tax and extending capital allowance benefits – for deepwater gas projects.

Other policies include the Presidential Directive on Local Content Compliance Requirements 2024 to address the reduction in oil and gas investments caused by high operating costs compared to global markets.

Also, the Presidential Directive on Reduction of Petroleum Sector Contracting Costs and Timelines 2024 reduces the time spent to award contracts for oil and gas projects.

In addition to the directives, Nigeria also launched its 2024 oil and gas licensing round, offering 19 blocks for exploration, demonstrating its commitment to continued collaboration with local, regional and international partners.

Market analysts note that with this momentum, further FIDs are anticipated, including TotalEnergies’ expected $750 million commitment to the Ima Shallow Gas Project in 2025.

Economy

UBN Property Triggers 0.22% Loss at NASD OTC Exchange

Published

23 hours ago

21/01/2025

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange recorded a 0.22 per cent decline on Monday, January 20, with the market capitalisation shedding N2.35 billion to close at N1.073 trillion compared with the preceding session’s N1.075 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) going down by 6.79 points to wrap the session at 3,105.12 points compared with 3,111.91 points recorded in the previous session.

It was observed that the loss recorded on the first trading day of the week was triggered by UBN Property Plc, which crashed by 20 Kobo to trade at N2.00 per share versus last Friday’s N2.20 per share.

However, the share price of Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc went up by 4 Kobo to 40 Kobo per unit from 36 Kobo per unit, it could not stop the bourse from going down at the close of transactions.

The activity chart showed that on Monday, the volume of securities traded by investors increased by 57.9 per cent to 767,610 units from the 486,215 units traded in the preceding session, while the value of shares traded yesterday slumped by 17.7 per cent to N2.3 million from the N2.8 million recorded in the preceding trading day, as the number of deals declined by 14.3 per cent to 12 deals from the 14 deals carried out in the previous trading day.

At the close of transactions, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis with the sale of 4.1 million units worth N162.9 million, followed by Geo-Fluids Plc with a turnover of 9.1 million units valued at N44.0 million, and 11 Plc with the sale of 55,358 for N14.5 million.

Also, Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc closed the day as the most active stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 25.3 million units sold for N5.9 million, Geo-Fluids Plc came next with 9.1 million units valued at N44.0 million, and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc with 4.1 million units worth N162.9 million.