Daily Archives: 24 Sep 2009

KepLand’s Evergro offer unconditional

KEPPEL Land says its offer to take its China unit Evergro Properties private has become unconditional in all aspects.

This comes after Evergro announced that the delisting proposal was approved at an extraordinary general meeting yesterday.

Keppel Land has already accumulated 88.96 per cent of Evergro shares, comprising shares owned, controlled or agreed to be acquired as well as valid acceptances of the offer so far. Shareholders have up to Oct 7 to accept the offer.

Keppel Land had announced the offer in July, offering to pay 29 cents a share to delist Evergro. Shareholders can also opt for one new Keppel Land share for every seven Evergro shares they own, it said.

The voluntary offer valued Evergro at $368.2 million.

By combining the operational expertise, industry knowledge and extensive networks of both companies, Keppel Land said it will be in an even stronger position to capture opportunities and growth in China.

Evergro, the former Dragon Land, has three residential projects and two golf courses in China. It is developing a 300 hectare residential project within the Tianjin eco-city project, which comes with a golf course that has already opened.

It is also building an apartment complex in Jiangyin city which, when completed in 2013, should also include retail and office buildings.

For financial year 2008, it posted a net profit of $545,000, up from $196,000 the previous year, while revenue rose 9.8 per cent to $43.63 million.

Source : Business Times – 24 Sep 2009

Not all Reits are created equal

Volatile as the year might have been, the consensus on the inclusion of Reits in investment portfolios is favourable

AT FIRST glance, real estate investment trusts (Reits) watchers will be frustrated by the hung jury that has been the outcome for the first half of 2009. As of the end of August, of the 18 Reits with results in, half have reported distribution per unit (DPU) growth while the other half have reported an erosion of DPU.

Upon closer analysis, however, Phillip Securities analyst Lee Kok Joo noted that there are some sectors within the Reits area that have fared better than the rest. ‘The hospitality sector fared the worst with both Ascott Reit and CDL Hospitality Reit recording decrease in gross revenue as well as lower DPU,’ said Mr Lee in his report late last month.

Despite the blow dealt to the hospitality sector this year, a pickup in tourist arrivals is expected to help turn things around next year. DMG estimates that the weighted average yield for the hospitality Reit sector will pick up in FY2010 to 7.3 per cent, up from a forecast 6 per cent this year.

The industrial Reit sector also provided a reminder this year that DPUs and turnover could go in opposite directions. ‘For industrial sector, all four industrial Reits recorded lower DPU although only MacarthurCook Industrial Reit recorded lower gross revenue,’ Mr Lee added. Continue reading