- Hong Leong Asia (SGX:H22)'s FY21 revenue grew 9.7% y-o-y to S$4.9bn, exceeding our forecasts by 5%. However, FY21 PATMI formed only 81% of our full-year forecasts, at S$60.1m. Notably, 2H21 revenue and PATMI declined steeply h-o-h, as pre-buying for diesel engines (in preparation for regulatory changes) tapered off
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- We are projecting diesel engine sales of 441,447 for FY22, noting that strong pre-buying may lead to lower sales in the following period (as seen in 2014-2015). Segment EBIT margins are also projected to come in at 3.3%, an improvement, as we expect R&D spend related to National VI engine standards to taper off as the standards come into effect.
- Hong Leong Asia (SGX:H22)'s FY21 revenue grew 9.7% y-o-y to S$4.9bn, exceeding our forecasts by 5%. However, FY21 PATMI formed only 81% of our full-year forecasts, at S$60.1m. Notably, 2H21 revenue and PATMI declined steeply h-o-h, as pre-buying for diesel engines (in preparation for regulatory changes) tapered off
- While diesel engine unit sales were in line at 456,791 (457,849 forecasted), research and development spending came in much higher than expected, denting diesel engine segment EBIT margins to 2.5% (FY20: 4.8%).
- Lower capitalisation of R&D expenses, together with the further development of National VI and Tier 4 engines and new energy products, drove R&D spend to rise an aggressive 72% h-o-h, to S$111.8m. This was a surprise and meant that the diesel engine segment recorded a FY21 margin of ~2.5%, a 2.3ppt decline y-o-y.
- We are projecting diesel engine sales of 441,447 for FY22, noting that strong pre-buying may lead to lower sales in the following period (as seen in 2014-2015). Segment EBIT margins are also projected to come in at 3.3%, an improvement, as we expect R&D spend related to National VI engine standards to taper off as the standards come into effect.
- A bright spot was Hong Leong Asia's building material segment, where EBIT grew 53.3% y-o-y to $24.5m in FY21, exceeding our forecasts by 6%.
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