Stocks to watch: SGX, CapitaLand Ascendas Reit, Marco Polo Marine, Penguin

THE following companies saw new developments that may affect trading of their securities on Thursday (Aug 17):

Singapore Exchange (SGX): The bourse on Thursday reported net profit of S$286.3 million for the half year ended June, up 23.1 per cent year on year from S$232.7 million. The bottom line improvement came on the back of higher operating revenue, driven by growth in currencies and commodities. Its board proposed a final quarterly dividend of S$0.085 per share, bringing its FY2023 dividends to S$0.325 if approved. Shares of SGX ended Wednesday 0.9 per cent or S$0.09 higher at S$9.67.

CapitaLand Ascendas Reit (Clar): Clar has acquired a high-specification Tier III colocation data centre facility located in north-west London at a purchase consideration of £125.1 million (S$209.4 million). On Thursday, its manager said it utilised S$129.9 million, or 26 per cent, of the gross proceeds of its private placement closed in May this year to partially fund the acquisition. Units of the real estate investment trust (Reit) closed Wednesday down 0.4 per cent or S$0.01 at S$2.69.

Marco Polo Marine : The marine logistics company on Thursday posted a 47.2 per cent rise in gross profit to S$14.2 million for the three months ended June, supported by improvements in operational performance for both its ship chartering and shipyard segments. Shares of Marco Polo Marine ended flat at S$0.052 on Wednesday. 

Penguin International : The privatisation offer for the shipbuilder has been extended for the fifth time to 5.30 pm on Aug 31. Priced at S$0.83 a share, the offer was previously set to close on Thursday. This is the offeror’s second privatisation attempt after a failed bid in 2021 by the consortium comprising Penguin’s executive chairman, managing director, and a special-purpose vehicle under private equity firm Dymon Asia. Penguin shares closed flat at S$0.83 on Wednesday before the announcement.