Imperial looking to expand an empire – Financial Mail
Logistics and vehicle group Imperial Holdings is driving hard towards doubling profit from its rest-of-Africa operations. It is seeking to rely less on a shaky SA trading environment, where 59% of group revenue and 64% of operating profit were generated in the interim period to December 2016. Meyrick Barker comments. view article
Astral Foods sees pain from new brine regulations – Moneyweb
South Africa’s largest poultry producer, Astral Foods, saw poultry sales volumes decline by 10.5% for the six months to March 31. Its group operating profit declined by 50.6% to R212 million on the back of a flat 0.5% revenue growth to R5.7 billion. Dirk van Vlaanderen comments. view article
Umongo fills gap in Omnia's range – Business Day
Omnia is buying 90% of Umongo Petroleum for R780m, adding new product lines and geographies to expand the diversified chemicals group. The deal, which still has to be given the green light by SA’s competition authorities, will add 6% to Omnia’s overall annual turnover of about R16 billion. Aslam Dalvi comments. view article
Market punishes Pioneer Foods – Business Day
In the six months to end March 2017, Pioneer Foods reported a 47% drop in first-half adjusted headline earnings to R470m. Adjusted operating profit declined from 12% to 7%. Dirk van Vlaanderen comments. view article
Sasol lowers synfuels sales forecast in update – Business Day
Chemical conglomerate Sasol has revised its synfuel sales forecast for the year to June down to 60-million barrels from 61-million barrels in financial 2016, in a nine-month update to the end of March. Abdul Davids comments. view article
A breath of fresh air for Mediclinic – Moneyweb
Mediclinic’s share price has fallen 36% in just over year, with the healthcare group facing regulatory headwinds which has constrained earnings and profits in some of its most lucrative and fastest growing markets. A recent Zurich regulatory ruling has offers positive news for the Swiss market outlook. Aslam Dalvi comments. view article
Below-forecast earnings erode Pick n Pay shares – Business Day
While local food retailers have seen a general decline in their share prices in the past month, Pick n Pay has been the hardest hit. Its share price has retreated just more than 13% in April, with most of the movement sparked by the release of the company’s 2017 annual results. Simon Anderssen comments. view […]
No dividend payout by Sun International – Business Day
Gaming giant Sun International released results which that the group, which has changed its financial year-end to December, finished the six months to end December 2016 with borrowings of R14.5 billion. This was R455 million more than at the end of June 2016. Dirk van Vlaanderen comments. view article
Barclays Africa debt sale misses target – Moneyweb
Barclays Africa Group sold less than half its target in a bond auction as a wall of debt issuance by South African banks and the impending exit of its UK parent, Barclays Plc, damped demand. Gavin Wood comments. view article
Emerging market growth lifts Sanlam – Business Day
Insurance group Sanlam outperformed peers in a tough domestic economy, posting double-digit earnings growth in its businesses both inside and outside SA, its 2016 financial results showed. Justin Floor comments. view article