By: Lee Chin Wai aka (The) Boring InvestorBlog: http://boringinvestor.blogspot.com/ Chin Wai has been investing for ... Read more >>

Sembcorp Industries Limited (SGX: U96) is a conglomerate with four major business segments: utilities; industries; urban development; and other businesses. The industries segment is made up of Sembcorp Industries’ 61% ownership stake in the Singapore-listed marine engineering firm, Sembcorp Marine Ltd (SGX: S51). At the current price of S$2.19 (at the time of writing), Sembcorp Industries’ shares are trading at 30% below thier 52-week high price of S$3.11. This raises a question: Is Sembcorp Industries cheap now? This question is important because if the firm’s shares are cheap, it might be a good time for investors to pick up some stocks. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. However, we can still get some insight by comparing Sembcorp Industries’ current valuat

Investors who are looking for cheap stocks to invest in may wish to sift through a list of companies that have recently hit a 52-week low, as this usually offers a fertile ground for such investments. However, it is not as simple as just buying cheap companies without digging a little deeper into the underlying reasons. The same situation can be applied to well-known companies as well. Despite being famous, such companies are also subject to the same economic forces and competitive threats as all other businesses. They have to grapple with economic headwinds and disruptive challenges to ensure that they stay relevant, and may even be forced to evolve and adapt to rapidly-changing conditions. Investors need to do their due diligence before committing their capital to cheap investments, as

Sembcorp Industries Limited’s (SGX: U96) share price of S$2.14 right now gives it a price-to-book (PB) ratio of 0.55. This looks like an attractive valuation on the surface, since the current PB ratio is near a five-year low as illustrated in the chart below. But there is an important risk with the company’s business that investors should note, and it concerns the troubling state of Sembcorp Industries’ energy business. Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence  Business background Sembcorp Industries can be seen as a bona fide conglomerate in Singapore’s stock market. The company generated S$11.7 billion in revenue in 2019, of which 56% came from the utilities segment. The segment recently changed its name to energy, and its key activities include power gen

Could it be the straw that broke the camel’s back? Since 2014, there were persistent rumours of Sembcorp Marine merging with Keppel Corp. But the rumours remain as rumours until now. With the explosive revelation of potential corruption charges and the recent meltdown of Sembcorp Marine share price, Temasek Holdings could be forced to show-hand. Sembcorp Marine share price ripped apart by corruption probe Sembcorp Marine share price see red Incidentally, Keppel Corp was involved in another merger and acquisition activity (M1) in 2018. That might have stalled the proposed deal between Sembcorp Marine and Keppel as substantial resources would have been expended to fund the exercise. But now that the M1 saga is over, it is timely to examine whether Keppel would make a move to rescue Sembcor

This weekend sees the 9th consecutive weekend of unrest in Hong Kong, as the world watches in concern while both sides undertake increasingly violent actions. Born out of protest over a proposed extradition bill, the goals of this movement has now expanded to encompass self-governance and universal suffrage. For this week’s 4 Stocks This Week, we examine 4 SGX-listed companies with headquarters or significant businesses in Hong Kong. Read Also: 4 Stocks This Week (In The News) [5 July 2019] Ascott REIT; ST Group Food; SIA Engineering; Sembcorp Marine Tan Chong International (SGX: T15) With a history of more than 50 years, Tan Chong International is a Hong Kong-based investment holding company that is primarily involved in motor vehicle distribution, though it also has businesses in large

Is it a good time to buy SembCorp Marine Ltd (SGX: S51) shares now after they've declined 33% over the past year? Find out here.

DBS thinks that there are three unique stocks in the market that will still allow investors to make a decent return on their investment. Investors Takeaway: 3 Unique SG Stocks That Every Investors Should Take Notice Blue Chips + Growth: SembCorp Industries Among the blue chips, DBS has taken a liking for Sembcorp Industries. According to DBS, Sembcorp Industries offers a unique value proposition as a proxy to ride the cyclical O&M upturn. At the same time, it is supported by a defensive utilities business, especially with its India operations showing signs of turnaround with an improving spread. DBS believes that this should re-rate its Energy business which is undervalued at 0.6 times P/BV and six times PE against 6-7 percent ROE. Furthermore, DBS strongly believes in the long-term gr

Although US President claims the huge trade deficit to be the basis of the trade war against China, most believe that the underlying issue is the threat of Chinese technology displacing the US. Although trade talks have restarted, sticky points remain to be ironed out, including the issue with Huawei. Have US tech stocks lost their shine? According to Phillip Securities Research, investors should continue to be encouraged by US tech giants’ commitment to aggressively invest in new technologies to drive innovation. The tech giants continue to show great strength in their engagement, introducing innovative cloud offerings that have the potential to disrupt industries. However, investors should also note the recent limelight of tech giants in the anti-trust investigations. That being said,

It was an eventful week for SGX-listed companies. On a policy level, the Monetary Authority of Singapore announced that it is looking into the possibility of raising the amount of leverage Singapore REITs are allowed to have from the current 45%. For individual companies, there have been plenty of news and interest as well. For this instalment of 4 Stocks This Week, we highlight 4 companies with developments this week that may have long-standing repercussions in the weeks and months to come. Read Also: [2019 Edition] Complete Guide To Start Your REITs Investing Journey In Singapore Ascott Residence Trust (SGX: A68U) On 3 July 2019, Ascott Residence Trust and Ascendas Hospitality Trust jointly announced that they will be merging, creating the largest hospitality trust in Asia-Pacific

On 3 July 2019, Sembcorp Marine share price collapsed 9% after revelation that its subsidiary in Brazil, Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz Ltda (“EJA”), had been stormed by the Brazilian authorities. The raid was in relation to a corruption probe, nicknamed “Operation Car Wash”. Sembcorp Marine share price see red Sembcorp Marine to ride out the storm After the news broke, I fear the worst for Sembcorp Marine share price. The corruption crackdown came at a time when Sembcorp Marine is still struggling to handle the industry slump. The timing is definitely bad because it is nearly light at end of tunnel for Sembcorp Marine share price as oil price had recovered to a reasonable USD70 per barrel level in recent months. The latest bombshell is an unexpected setback for the oil rig builder. No

Sembcorp Marine Ltd’s (SGX: S51) shares fell hard this week after it revealed that its yard in Brazil was raided by the authorities.

Heading into 2H19, MBKE expects a choppy year for markets given that Singapore is highly exposed to trade flows. Forward looking profit growth expectations have fallen over the past six months with the weakening macro outlook. Among the sectors, there are four particular sectors that MBKE thinks will be able to help investors ride out the choppy markets. In the first part of this 2-part series, we will highlight two of the sectors that MBKE thinks investors should be watching out for: Financial and industrials. Investors Takeaway: Watch Out For The Financial And Industrial Sectors Maybank Kim Eng Financial: Best Place To Seek Quality Growth Plays Years Of Structural Change Coming To Fruition Following not so successful attempts to transform into universal banks, the financial sector has