Tuan Sing Q1 earnings slump 98% on lower operating income, higher costs

PROPERTY developer Tuan Sing Holdings on Friday posted a 98 per cent slump in earnings to S$157,000 for its first quarter ended March 31 from S$8.2 million a year ago.

Revenue rose 1 per cent to S$77.5 million for the quarter, due mainly to higher revenue from its property segment, partially offset by lower revenue from its hotels investment and industrial services segments.

The drop in earnings was partly due to lower operating income on the back of the absence of a S$3.9 million gain from the divestment of a China subsidiary in 2018.

This was aggravated by lower share of results of equity accounted investments due to lower contribution from the group's associate which recorded lower revenue and higher foreign exchange losses arising from the weakening of the US dollar against the renminbi, as well as higher finance costs due mainly to interest expenses for 18 Robinson and higher interest rates on borrowings for other investment properties over the course of the year.