Stocks to watch: ComfortDelGro, Yanlord Land, Straits Trading, UMS, Halcyon Agri, Straco

THE following companies saw new developments that may affect trading of their securities on Tuesday (Aug 15):

ComfortDelGro : The transport behemoth posted on Monday a 31.9 per cent year-on-year fall in net profit to S$78.5 million for the first half ended June 2023 from S$115.3 million, largely due to higher operating costs and the absence of a one-off disposal gain. The group still raised its dividend payout ratio to a minimum of 70 per cent from 50 per cent, to reward shareholders. Its shares closed up S$0.01 or 0.8 per cent at S$1.27, before the announcement. 

Yanlord Land Group : The property developer reported a 20 per cent decrease in net profit to about one billion yuan (S$186.9 million) for H1 ended June 2023, from 1.4 billion yuan a year earlier. The group’s earnings per share fell 20 per cent to 56.7 fen, from last year’s 71.29 fen. No dividend was declared. Its shares closed on Monday down S$0.015 or 2 per cent at S$0.735, before the announcement. 

Straits Trading Company : The group’s net profit plunged 97.8 per cent to S$14.9 million for H1 ended June 2023, from S$673 million in the year-ago period. Earnings per share sank 97.9 per cent to 3.3 Singapore cents from 155.5 cents. No dividend was declared. Its shares closed down 1.5 per cent or S$0.03 at S$2.04 on Monday, before the announcement.

UMS : The mainboard-listed semiconductor company recorded a 42.4 per cent drop in net profit to S$11.6 million for the second quarter ended Jun 30, 2023, from S$20.2 million in the corresponding year-ago period. On Monday, it attributed the decrease to weaker performances in its semiconductor segment and “others” business segment that includes the manufacture of water disinfection systems. Its shares closed down 1.9 per cent or S$0.02 at S$1.03, before the announcement. 

Halcyon Agri : The mainboard-listed rubber producer sank into the red with a US$62.1 million net loss for the first half ended Jun 30, compared with a net profit of US$1 million a year earlier. Loss per share for the period stood at US$0.0413 compared with US$0.0017 previously. Its shares closed flat at S$0.41 on Monday, before the results.  

Straco : The tourism facilities operator was back in the black with a net profit of S$6.4 million for H1 ended June 2023, after a net loss of S$8.5 million in the corresponding year-ago period. The improved performance came on the back of higher revenues across all of its three Chinese attractions following China’s easing of pandemic restrictions in December 2022. Its shares ended flat at S$0.48 on Monday, before the results.

Q&M Dental : The group on Monday posted a 46 per cent fall in its net profit for H1 ended June 2023 to S$5.3 million, from S$9.8 million in the prior year. The company declared a first interim dividend of 0.16 Singapore cent per share, to be paid on Sep 13 after books closure on Aug 30. The counter closed unchanged at S$0.29, before the announcement. 

Apac Realty : The real estate service provider’s net profit tumbled 70 per cent for its half year ended June 2023 to S$5 million, from S$16.7 million in H1 2022. Its earnings per share also fell to 1.41 Singapore cents, down from the previous 4.7 cents. The board has declared an interim dividend of 1.1 cents per share, to be paid out on Sep 8 after books closure on Aug 31. Its shares ended Monday down 2.5 per cent or S$0.015 at S$0.585, before the announcement.

Trading halt: Sustainability-focused platform H2G Green called for a trading halt on Tuesday morning, pending an announcement. Its counter closed down S$0.001 or 5.6 per cent at S$0.017 on Monday.