We are now in the busiest part of earnings season. Many companies have reported their results in the past few weeks — some of them have had good news to share, some bad, and some a bit of both. Today we’re having a look at two companies that have recently reported mixed results. Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SGX: Z74) is first on the list and needs little introduction. It’s the major local telecom player in Singapore. The other two are StarHub Ltd and M1 Ltd. In the latest quarter ended 31 March 2019, SingTel reported that revenue was up by 1.9% year on year at S$4.3 billion. Yet, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) for the quarter fell 5.2% year on year to S$1.2 billion. Also, the group share of associates’ pre-tax earnings d

Yesterday, Sembcorp Industries Limited (SGX: U96) released its 2019 first-quarter earnings update. Sembcorp Industries is a bona fide conglomerate with four major business segments: Energy, Marine, Urban Development, and Other Businesses. The Marine segment is made up of Sembcorp Industries’ 61% ownership stake in Singapore-listed marine engineering firm Sembcorp Marine Ltd (SGX: S51). Here are 10 things investors should know about Sembcorp Industries’ latest results: Revenue for the reporting quarter fell 10% year on year to S$2.5 billion. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) for the quarter jumped 22% year on year to S$349 million. Profit from operations for the quarter also improved by 4% year on year to S$223 million, driven mainly by stronger p

In another twist to the Hyflux (SGX: 600) saga, the embattled company revealed that United Arab Emirates utility company Utico FZC could potentially give Hyflux a S$400 million investment. The water treatment firm said it received a non-binding letter of intent from Utico FZC last week. Utico plans to keep Hyflux’s key entities and operation intact and reach an “amicable” deal with creditors and investors. It was another busy earnings week in Singapore this week. Insurance company, Great Eastern Holdings Limited’s (SGX: G07) net profit for the first quarter more than doubled to S$342.7 million, driven by higher investment returns from favourable market conditions. However, operating profit from its insurance business declined 8% to S$150 million. United Overseas Bank Ltd  (SGX

Sembcorp Marine (SGX: S51) is a Singapore-listed company with business interests in the marine sector. It has three business segments; 1) Rigs & floaters 2) Repairs & upgrades and 3) Offshore platforms. Sembcorp Marine released its first-quarter earnings for the year ending 2019 yesterday morning. Let’s have a look at them in more detail. First quarter revenue and net profit came in at S$811 million and S$2 million respectively. This was a 31% drop in revenue while profit nosedived 68% year-on-year. Net asset value (NAV) per share came in at S$1.11 – relatively unchanged on the year. Moving on to the company’s balance sheet, its gross debt stood at S$3.99 billion while cash and equivalents came in at S$524 million. As such, net debt came in at S$3.46 billion implying a n

It is no secret that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is slowly reshaping the world that we live in. While we have been hearing the buzzword for many years now, 2018 was a breakthrough year in many respects. The big reason for this is the proliferation of big data and faster central processing units that have powered deep learning. Deep learning is one part of machine learning methods that are based on the layers used in artificial neural networks that create the AI we are seeing today. PricewaterhouseCoopers has estimated that AI will add around US$15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. With that said, here are three ways that investors can get in on the action. Buy software companies Right now, the companies with the biggest exposure to artificial intelligence are the big software comp

Dear all, This week, Sembcorp marine (“SMM”) caught my attention amid positive industry reports and its strengthening chart. I have started to accumulate SMM with my usual take profit target of a few bids, if any. Let’s look at the basis, and importantly, the investment risks.   Basis a) Analysts are turning positive Based on Figure 1 below, average analyst target price for SMM is around $1.93, representing a potential capital appreciation of around 12% from the current price $1.72. It is noteworthy that JP Morgan has turned positive on SMM last month with a target price of $2.10, after six years of underweighting SMM. Figure 1: Ave analyst target $1.93 Source: Bloomberg 26 Apr 19 b) Chart is supportive Based on Chart 1 below, SMM breached its trading range $1.60 – 1.72 on 23 A

After ending 2018 on a bad note, the performance of the stock market in the first two months of 2019 has gave investors a reason to cheer. If you are looking to repeat the splendid performance, here are some strategies for you to consider. Investors Takeaway: 3 Strategies If You Want To Beat The Market Again By DBS Take Advantage Of Interest In S-REITs With Fed Chairman Powell re-iterating the Fed’s dovish stance to be patient on rate hikes, interest in REITs should sustain going forward. The consensus now appears to be zero rate hikes for this year as the Fed continues to monitor how the economy evolves. Previously, DBS recommended investors to focus on large cap REITs in resilient segments such as retail and industrial (warehouse and business parks). DBS likes these large cap REITs f

On 18 February 2019, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat delivered the Singapore Budget 2019 in Parliament. In the largely expansionary budget for the year, the main highlights were the Bicentennial Bonus, details on the Merdeka Generation Package, expansion in the scope of public spending on healthcare via CHAS, and maintaining a high rate of spending on defence. Read Also: Singapore Budget 2019: Here Are 4 Of The Most Important Announcements That Affect All Of Us In this edition of our 4 Stocks This Week column, we can’t look any further than the stocks that will benefit the most from the Singapore Budget 2019. # 1 ST Engineering (SGX: S63) During the Singapore Budget 2019, one of the first things Minister Heng spoke about was the need for our country to stay vigilant to the threats around

It is that sinking feeling all over again for Keppel share price. And it appears to me that investors are not convinced of a turnaround of Keppel share price. Following the release of a strong full-year 2018 financial result on 24 January 2019, Keppel share price keeps falling instead of rising. Management must be rubbing their eyes and wondering what on earth could have happened to Keppel share price. With a stake amounting to 20.54%, Temasek Holdings is currently the largest shareholder of Keppel. The burning question among investors must be: how would Temasek Holdings fight its way out with Keppel? Should Temasek Holdings go for a “big bang” merger between Keppel and Sembcorp Marine to revive the ailing Keppel share price or continue to let Keppel share price spiral out of control?