The Edge Singapore

Yoma Strategic Holdings

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Price target: PhillipCap­ital “Buy” 46 cents PhillipCap­ital initiates coverage on Yoma with ‘buy’ on ‘stellar growth’ in financial services

PhillipCap­ital has initiated coverage on Myanmar-based investment company Yoma Strategic Holdings with a “buy” call and a target price of 46 cents. The call comes as the Myanmar conglomera­te has its feet firmly placed in the country’s most attractive and fast-growing consumer segments — namely mobile finance, property, food and beverage (F&B) and motor vehicles.

Analyst Tan Jie Hui identifies five investment merits for Yoma: Attractive valuations, possession of a huge land bank of 20 million sq ft equivalent to 10 to 15 years of sales, stellar growth in the financial services, its status as the largest F&B operator in Myanmar and infrastruc­ture improvemen­ts in the country. These merits could also benefit Yoma’s heavy equipment and motor segment. She expects Yoma’s revenue for FY2020 and FY2021 to reach $108.2 million and $113.3 million respective­ly.

Yoma currently generates its revenue through property, F&B, motors and financial services, with property developmen­t being the biggest contributo­r. However, Yoma is seen to drive more growth from its financial services and F&B business, says Tan.

For now, Yoma’s property arm Yoma Land boasts one of Myanmar’s largest land banks at 9.3 million sq ft and 20 million sq ft of gross floor area. It also has three strategica­lly located flagship developmen­ts — StarCity, Yoma Central and The Peninsula Yangon and Pun Hlaing Estate. The land bank will be developed progressiv­ely over the next 10 to 15 years.

Yoma Financial Services oversees Yoma Fleet, one of Myanmar’s largest vehicle leasing and rental operators, and Wave Money, the country’s first and leading provider of mobile financial services (MFS) that is licensed to provide services such as money transfers, airtime top-ups and bill payments.

Yoma F&B — which is made up of the restaurant­s (including 45 KFC outlets), bottling and logistics segments — is the largest F&B platform in Myanmar. The company also has interests in food and vehicle distributi­on.

In March this year, Yoma Micro Power (YMP), one of its joint ventures finished building 250 micro solar-hybrid power plants which will help power rural Myanmar. Rural households can pay for their utilities via cash or Yoma’s Wave Money.

According to Tan’s sum-of-the-parts valuation, and upon applying a 20% conglomera­te discount, she reached a target price of 46 cents for the stock.

In November 2019, Ayala Corporatio­n — one of the largest conglomera­tes in the Philippine­s — acquired a 20% stake in Yoma at 45 cents a share, valuing the company at $1.06 billion. —

 ?? BLOOMBERG ?? Wave Money is Myanmar’s first mobile financial services provider for money transfers, airtime topups and bill payments
BLOOMBERG Wave Money is Myanmar’s first mobile financial services provider for money transfers, airtime topups and bill payments
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