Bullish outlook on RAK Ceramics from EFG-Hermes



RAK Ceramics, one of world’s biggest makers of ceramic tiles and bathroom fixtures, is expected to grow its profit by 10 per cent a year through 2019.

The profit will be driven by a revenue increase of 7 per cent a year, planned expansion at the Ras Al Khaimah-based firm and improved margins, the Egyptian investment bank EFG-Hermes said.

The bank initiated coverage of RAK Ceramics with a “buy” rating, and a fair value of Dh4.30 per share. The shares closed up 0.9 per cent at Dh3.30 in Abu Dhabi.

EFG-Hermes noted its expectation of “optimisation in tile utilisation, capitalising on underlying demand from the UAE construction sector” ahead of Expo 2020, as well as improvements in Saudi Arabia’s construction sector.

RAK Ceramic’s first-quarter net profit after non-controlling interest deductions fell by 0.2 per cent to Dh57.9 million from Dh58m year on year. The company’s core revenue from ceramics sales declined 5.8 per cent year on year to Dh656m in the first quarter.

The Abu Dhabi-listed company’s core business includes the manufacture of ceramics tiles, bathroom ware and table ware, while non-core businesses includes contracting, property development and pharmaceuticals.

The firm has been divesting non-core assets to boost profitability and investing proceeds in capacity expansions.

During the first three months, the group completed the sale of its stake in the adhesives company Laticrete RAK, the mosquito-coil manufacturers RAK Mosfly Bangladesh and RAK Pharmaceuticals Bangladesh. It is expected to exit its Sudan subsidiary this quarter.

In the UAE, RAK Ceramics will boost its annual production of bathroom fixtures by 500,000 pieces from the current 2.7 million pieces in the second half of this year, its chief executive said in January.

The company will also expand annual production capacity for bathroom fixtures in India to 1.2 million pieces from 700,000 pieces now. Capacity for tile production in Bangladesh will be expanded by 21.2 per cent this year from the current 8 million sq metres.

dalsaadi@thenational.ae

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  • 2018: Formal work begins
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”