MARC affirms rating on Titijaya’s RM150 mln ICP Programme

KUCHING: MARC Ratings has affirmed its short-term rating of MARC-2IS on Titijaya Land Bhd’s (Titijaya) RM150 million Islamic Commercial Papers (ICP) Programme.

The outstanding under the programme stood at RM30 million as of November 15, 2022.

The rating affirmation incorporates Titijaya’s track record in developing projects in and around matured areas which has afforded moderateto-strong take-up rates.

The rating also factors in the group’s healthy liquidity position and low-to-moderate leverage position. Key moderating factors are its thin operating margins and the challenging outlook for the domestic property market.

Gross development value (GDV) for ongoing projects stood at RM1.6 billion as at endJune 2022, recording an average take-up rate of 60.2 per cent (end-June 2021: 53 per cent).

The improvement was driven by sales uptick for its two serviced apartment projects: The Shore (GDV: RM400.7 million) in Kota Kinabalu; and Damaisuria (GDV: RM214.1 million) in Bukit Subang.

Its small office home office (SoHo) developments – 3rdNvenue (Phase 1) on Jalan Ampang and Riveria City (Phase 1) in Brickfields – account for a sizeable 60 per cent of total ongoing GDV.

These two developments recorded slower-than-expected take-up rates of 59 per cent and 71.9 per cent (end-June 2021: 55.7 per cent; 68.8 per cent) partly due to tight end-financing extended to properties with commercial titles, although MARC Ratings gathered that this constraint has eased in recent months.

Over the near term, the group plans to launch projects with GDV of RM1.1 billion within its existing developments in the Klang Valley; however, definitive dates for the launches would depend on market conditions.

Titijaya is also developing a logistics facility on a 6.6-acre plot in Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang that will be leased to an international logistics group on a long-term basis.

The project cost of about RM122 million will be funded by a term loan structured to match rental receipts.

Titijaya is also working to build similar facilities on the adjacent 13.4-acre parcel it owns for other parties.

These projects are expected to provide recurrent earnings streams. Nonetheless, as a new business segment, it poses some execution risk to the group. Inventory levels declined to RM132.9 million (end-June 2021: RM211.4 million) mainly on sales of completed units of the Mizu serviced apartments in Ara Damansara.

Completed inventories would decline further by end-2022 upon conclusion of sales of link houses in Cheras.

However, if sales of units in the group’s SoHo projects do not pick up, inventory level would increase upon expected completion by mid-2023.

For the financial year ended June 30, 2022, the group recorded 8.4 per cent year on year (y-o-y) higher revenue to RM274.9 million, supported by sales of inventories and a land parcel in Bukit Padang, Sabah.

Pre-tax profit was slightly lower at RM11 million (FY2021: RM12.7 million) due to lower margins for its ongoing projects. Unbilled sales stood at RM289.9 million which provides earnings visibility through 2024. Borrowings declined to RM412 million from RM509 million a year earlier as Titijaya pared down its debt through proceeds from inventory sales.

Accordingly, its debt-toequity ratio declined to 0.36fold from 0.44-fold. It has cash balance of RM177.7 million against maturing short-term borrowings of RM148.7 million (excluding ICP) as at end-June 2022.

Its cash position will be supported by expected proceeds of about RM44 million from sales of the link houses in Cheras and about RM86 million from the terminated arrangement on the Odeon project on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.