10 Philippine firms in Nikkei’s Asia300 list

TEN Philippine companies made it to the Nikkei Asian Review’s third annual list of Asia300 Power Performers Ranking, which ranks the most powerful and valuable listed companies in Asia.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the Nikkei Asian Review said the companies were ranked based on four factors, namely growth, profitability, efficiency, and financial soundness. The list was then made from a compilation of 325 of the biggest and fastest-growing companies from 11 economies in Asia, excluding Japan.

Leading the Philippinebased firms was Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI), which ranked 42nd overall. In terms of five-year average revenue growth and fiveyear average net profit growth, ALI bagged the 39th spot.

The list cited ALI’s strong net profit-to-sales ratio amid a “somewhat disappointing equity capital ratio,” which allowed it to displace SM Prime Holdings, Inc. from the top spot last year.

ALI is one of the largest real estate companies in the Philippines, known for its development of masterplanned estates across the country. By 2020, the company looks to book a net income of P40 billion, where its leasing business is set to account for 50% of earnings, while residential sales will provide for the remaining half.

The Ayala- led property firm’s market capitalization stood at P538.26 billion at the end of trading on Wednesday.

Cebu Air, Inc., the Gokongwei-led operator of low-budget carrier Cebu Pacific Air, followed ALI in terms of local companies on the list, which landed on the 57th spot thanks to its high return on equity (ROE).

Diversified engineering conglomerate DMCI Holdings, Inc. landed on 61st place, also lifted by a solid ROE and net profitto-sales ratio.

SM Prime dropped to 63rd spot in this year’s list, from the 23rd spot in 2017. Homegrown fastfood giant Jollibee Foods Corp made it to the 74th spot, while George S.K. Ty’s GT Capital Holdings, Inc grabbed the 79th place.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp., JG Summit Holdings, Inc., Universal Robina Corp. ( URC), and Ayala Corp. also made it to the list, landing on the 85th, 91st, 94th, and 96th places, respectively.

Last year’s list counted 19 Philippine firms in the top 100, with SM Prime and URC previously making it to the top 30.

Taiwan’s Largan Precision secured the top spot for the second consecutive year.

“Largan has played a crucial role in the iPhone supply chain from the beginning, providing lenses for every single unit that has shipped since the device debuted in 2007,” Nikkei said in a statement. —