KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 16): Based on corporate announcements and news flow on Wednesday (Feb 16), companies that may be in focus on Thursday may include Sime Darby Bhd, Capital A Bhd, AirAsia X Bhd (AAX), Malaysian Genomics Resource Centre Bhd (MGRC), Mr DIY Group (M) Bhd, Heineken Malaysia Bhd, InNature Bhd, SAM Engineering & Equipment (M) Bhd, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLK), Gas Malaysia Bhd, Dagang NeXchange Bhd (DNeX), Sunzen Biotech Bhd, Scomi Group Bhd and Bintai Kinden Corp Bhd.

Sime Darby Bhd’s net profit fell by 45.5% to RM345 million for the second quarter ended Dec 31, 2021, compared with RM633 million in the previous year’s corresponding quarter, which benefited from a one-off gain of RM272 million on the divestment of the group’s stake in Tesco Malaysia. Revenue fell 6.29% to RM10.54 billion from RM11.24 billion. The group has declared a first interim dividend of four sen.

Sime Darby has also put plans to spin-off its healthcare unit — Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care Sdn Bhd — on the backburner, group chief executive officer Datuk Jeffri Salim Davidson said during a virtual briefing. He did not elaborate on the reason for the delay. Sime Darby jointly owns the healthcare unit with Australia’s largest hospital operator Ramsay Health Care Ltd.

Capital A Bhd (formerly known as AirAsia Group Bhd) announced that its unit AirAsia Aviation Group Ltd has entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with international aircraft leasing company Avolon Aerospace Leasing to establish a joint working group to study the feasibility of urban air mobility in the ASEAN region and evaluate the possibility of leasing up to 100 VX4 electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

AirAsia X Bhd’s (AAX) net loss narrowed to RM11.94 million for its second quarter ended Dec 31, 2021, from RM149.14 million in the immediate preceding quarter due to lower operating costs. Revenue rose 20.19% to RM119.31 million from RM99.27 million.

Malaysian Genomics Resource Centre Bhd (MGRC) returned to the black in the second quarter ended Dec 31, 2021 with a net profit of RM1.01 million compared to a net loss of RM1.55 million a year ago, on the back of higher margins from the distribution of immunotherapy and cell therapies. The genomics and biopharmaceutical group’s quarterly revenue ballooned to RM7.63 million from RM136,000 a year prior, largely due to the distribution of immunotherapy and cell therapies as well as Covid-19 vaccine distribution and administration.

Mr DIY Group (M) Bhd’s net profit for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2021 grew 24.28% to RM134.55 million from RM108.26 million in the same quarter of the previous year, on the back of a RM10.7 million gain in operating income. Revenue rose 26.95% to RM975.39 million from RM768.33 million, largely due to an increase in the total number of stores as well as lifting of lockdowns and other restrictions imposed in the prior period. The group declared a dividend of 0.9 sen per share to be paid on April 1.

Heineken Malaysia Bhd’s net profit for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2021 surged 76.93% to RM95.85 million from RM54.17 million a year ago, as the brewer saw improved sales for its products following the reopening of the domestic economy. Quarterly revenue grew 33.39% to RM692.34 million from RM519.02 million amid higher sales volume driven by the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, as well as earlier festive sell-in for the Chinese New Year celebrations this year. The group proposed a single-tier final dividend of 66 sen per share.

InNature Bhd, the holding company of The Body Shop, saw its net profit for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2021 jump over 10 times to RM7.76 million from RM722,000 in the immediate  preceding quarter. The group's quarterly revenue about doubled to RM43.68 million from RM22.31 million, following the reopening of the economies of Malaysia and Vietnam. The group declared a final dividend of 1.5 sen per share.

SAM Engineering & Equipment (M) Bhd’s net profit soared 102.87% to RM25.2 million for its second quarter ended Dec 31, 2021 (3QFY22) from RM12.42 million a year earlier, on the back of an increase in demand at its aerospace and equipment divisions. Quarterly revenue jumped 70.95% to RM351.11 million from RM205.38 million previously.

Boosted by sharply higher palm oil prices, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd’s (KLK) net profit jumped 67.69% to RM599.32 million for the first quarter ended Dec 31, 2021 from RM357.41 million a year earlier. Quarterly revenue surged 58.82% to RM6.83 billion from RM4.3 billion.

Gas Malaysia Bhd has reported a 0.1% increase in net profit for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2021 to RM69.29 million from RM69.23 million a year earlier. Revenue improved by 6.7% to RM1.94 billion from RM1.82 billion. The group declared a second interim dividend of six sen per share amounting to RM77.04 million.

CGS-CIMB Research has initiated coverage on Dagang NeXchange Bhd (DNeX) at RM1.13 with an “add” rating and target price of RM1.60. The research house said DNeX is well positioned to benefit from SilTerra’s turnaround, underpinned by ongoing semi chips shortages and structural shift towards More-than-Moore devices.

Sunzen Biotech Bhd has proposed to undertake a bonus issue of up to 408.93 million warrants on the basis of one warrant for every two existing shares. The biotechnology firm, involved in animal feed supplement products, said the warrants will be issued at no cost to entitled shareholders, with a tenure of five years.

Scomi Group Bhd said its 51%-owned subsidiary Scomi SGSB Sdn Bhd has accepted a Letter of Intent for an engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning project valued at RM23.9 million, awarded by renewable energy developer Synergy Generated Sdn Bhd, which owns the remaining 49% stake in Scomi SGSB. The project involves the development of a 7.992 MWp rooftop photovoltaic plant for a local educational institution.

Bintai Kinden Corp Bhd has redesignated its deputy chief executive officer Noor Azri Azerai as the group’s executive director. The group said Noor Azri, 23, has a direct interest of 10.2 million shares, representing 1.468% of the total issued share capital of the company.