The Housewares Group has startled the investment community with its exceptional results, reports Jacques
STORES-LISTED Housewares Group’s latest financial results took the investment community by complete surprise last week.
While recent market focus lay in institutional and stockbrokers’ attempts at resurrecting investor interest in the 10-cent-a-share, debt-ridden W&A, little attention was directed at this company’s former subsidiary, Housewares Group Ltd.
Housewares relisted in August last year, but results are for the financial year to end-March 1995. Turnover grew by 58 percent to R211-million and operating income by 60 percent to R45,5-million. Besides a profit margin of more than 25 percent, the real surprise rests in a doubling of attributable income to R28,7-million. This was achieved despite a 123 percent increase in finance costs to R6,9-million and a R4-million adjustment to deferred taxation, which arose from a change in the tax
Shareholders who have included this counter in their portfolios have been rewarded: the company listed at 250 cents a share, but was trading at 440 cents a share
Typically, dealers suggest it is now too late to buy the share, since a climb of 75 percent must soon be countered by a market correction. However, strategists offer a different viewpoint: a share’s performance is an indicator of investor sentiment towards that company, which is affected by a multitude of factors. A share does not decline simply because it increased or because the climb was significant.
Factors that could affect Housewares’ share performance include its gearing level, future prospects, shareholder structure and management capability. The company’s balance sheet shows that Housewares has an interest-bearing debt of R23-million, which translates into a low debt:equity ratio of 25 percent. Also, the company’s ability to repay short-term debt, as reflected in its current asset ratio (called liquidity), is an unbelievable 3,5 times.
Another positive factor is that it is to issue additional shares to two institutions, which will raise R40-million cash, effectively wiping out any debt. Chairman and chief executive officer Melvyn Gutkin says: “The purpose of the issue is to enlarge the company’s capital and so facilitate its continued growth and strategic development.”
With no debt, strong shareholder support and, as Gutkin says, “a target market which falls directly within the ambit of the country’s Reconstruction and Development Programme”, there is little to suggest that strong future growth prospects are not possible.
Housewares was first listed on the JSE in May 1986, at a market capitalisation (value of the company determined by multiplying its issued shares by share price) of R11-million. By October 1987 its value had risen to R84-million and it became the target of the Jeff Liebesman takeover empire.
During that year, the company’s entire share capital was acquired by W&A, through Homemakers, and the listing was terminated. Under the W&A stable the company continued to prosper and W&A decided to secure a long-term management agreement from the directors. Gutkin bought back 20 percent of the company, but he also secured an option to buy back the remaining shares for R77-million.
In effect, Gutkin, together with NSA, managed to buy back the company at a profit, relist and improve bottom-line growth without incurring debt. Surely these are conditions for further company share growth?