Buybacks decline on the week; Wee Ee Chao raises UOB-Kay Hian stake

IN the five trading sessions spanning Oct 6 to Oct 12, the Straits Times Index (STI) edged 0.4 per cent higher. This brought its dividend-inclusive return for the year through Oct 12 to 18.04 per cent, compared with an average 13.78 per cent return (in Singapore dollar terms) for the benchmarks of Japan, Hong Kong and Australia.

Over those five sessions, 45 SGX-listed stocks lodged more than a hundred changes in director and substantial shareholder interests. For company directors, 18 acquisitions and two disposals were lodged during the period. For substantial shareholders of companies, six acquisitions and 15 disposals were filed.

Share buybacks

Over the five sessions, seven stocks conducted share buybacks with a total consideration of S$5.13 million, well below the S$10.3 million consideration in the five preceding sessions. Yanlord Land contributed the highest buyback consideration, buying back 1.55 million shares at an average price of S$1.91 per share. The China-based developer, which commenced its buyback programme on Sept 20, had paid average prices ranging from S$1.87 per share…