The share price of Cape Town-based black economic empowerment group Sekunjalo Investments hit 80 cents in early trade on Monday, gaining eight cents and approaching a four-and-a-half year high of 82 cents.
This follows the group’s announcement late on Thursday of a 303% rise in headline
earnings per share to 4,76 cents for the year ended on August 31.
Sekunjalo, which has stakes in the fishing, pharmaceutical, health care and IT sectors, missed out on the strong performance of the JSE in 2005. The group posted a 37% decline in its share price so far this year before the good news of its results, from 76 cents in January to a low of 48 cents on November 25.
The group has been hit largely by a poor performance from its fishing interests, Premier Fishing, its major earnings contributor, which like other local fishing companies has been experiencing a poor catch in some fisheries.
However, since the day prior to its results announcement, the company’s share has regained all of its losses. The share price rose 22% — to 60 cents from 49 cents — on the day before the results, and overall has risen 63% in the past four trading days.
Sekujalo reported a 563% improvement in headline earnings to R12,14-million, while operating profit rose by 155% to R53,35-million.
Net asset value per share was 291 cents from 75 cents a year ago — an increase of 288%.
CEO Dr Iqbal Surve said the strong results came despite a stronger rand which affected export margins and increased import competition, restructuring in the health care business and underperformance in the Premfresh trading business.
He said the performance was made possible due to earlier than expected contributions from the financial services and information technology businesses, the largest contributors to the group’s earnings.
Surve was optimistic about the group’s outlook, saying prospects were excellent, especially in its technology and innovation driven portfolio. The executive management of the group has set itself the target of a year-on-year earnings growth of 30%. – I-Net Bridge