KUALA LUMPUR (March 15): CIMB IB Research has maintained its “Add” rating on Berjaya Food Bhd (BJFood) at RM1.51 with a higher target price (TP) of RM2.23 (from RM1.91) and said BJFood’s 9MFY4/19 core net profit of RM22.3 million was ahead of expectations, at 89% of house and 85% of Bloomberg consensus full-year estimates.

In a note March 14, the research house said the strong 41.9% year-on-year growth in 9MFY4/19 core earnings was propelled by strong Starbucks performance, and a turnaround in its KRR business.

“Maintain Add, with a higher TP of RM2.23 (24x CY20F P/E),” it said.