Market Snapshot
Singapore stocks opened higher on Thursday. STI rose 0.2%; SingPost fell 9%; Golden Agri-Res down 2%; DBS and UOB up 1%.
Stocks in Focus
ComfortDelGro : The transport behemoth posted a 19 per cent rise in its net profit to S$48.3 million for the first quarter ended March on contributions from last year’s acquisitions and improved margins. It said in an update on Wednesday that revenue rose 16.4 per cent year on year to S$1.2 billion, whereas operating costs climbed at a slower pace of 15 per cent. The mainboard-listed company was confident that its cabbies would not jump ship to Grab. At the Apr 22 annual general meeting, the transport operator’s group chief executive Cheng Siak Kian sought to assure shareholders about the loyalty of its own taxi drivers. ComfortDelGro shares were 0.7 per cent or S$0.01 lower at S$1.52, before this business update was released.
Venture Corp : The technology solutions provider reported a 7 per cent decline in net profit to S$55.9 million for the first quarter of 2025, from S$60.1 million in the year-ago period. Revenue fell 7.5 per cent to S$616.6 million, from S$666.7 million. Group revenue declined largely due to lower demand in the company’s lifestyle consumer technology domain, where it improved the reliability and longevity for a customer’s key products through research and design innovation, which led to lower product replacement, the group said in a bourse filing on Wednesday. Shares of Venture closed 0.5 per cent or S$0.06 higher at S$11.27, before the announcement.
Golden Agri-Resources: The palm oil company reported on Thursday a net profit of US$55 million for the first quarter ended Mar 31, 2025, up 47 per cent from US$37 million in the previous corresponding period. This was driven by stronger plantation output and an appreciation in the price of crude palm oil. Revenue rose 19 per cent to US$3 billion, from US$2.6 billion in the year-ago period. Shares of Golden Agri-Resources closed flat at S$0.245 on Wednesday.
Singapore Post (SingPost): The company’s net profit for the second half ended Mar 31 surged 232.7 per cent to S$222.5 million, from S$66.9 million in the corresponding year-ago period. This was largely due to an exceptional gain from the disposal of its Australia business. Following this sale, the group proposed a special dividend of S$0.09 per share. Excluding the net exceptional gain, SingPost’s underlying net loss for H2 stood at S$461,000, versus a net profit of S$28.1 million in the year-ago period. Revenue was down 12.1 per cent at S$387.5 million from S$440.6 million previously, the group said on Thursday. SingPost shares closed 1.6 per cent or S$0.01 higher at S$0.635 on Wednesday.
Centurion : The dormitory and student accommodation operator’s revenue rose 13 per cent to S$69 million for the first quarter ended Mar 31, from S$61.1 million in the year-ago period. This was driven by positive rental revisions across markets and strong financial occupancies in both Singapore and the United Kingdom. Revenue from the purpose-built worker accommodation segment grew 15 per cent to S$53.4 million from S$46.2 million. Meanwhile, revenue from its purpose-built student accommodation segment rose 2 per cent to S$15 million from S$14.7 million. Shares of Centurion closed S$0.01 or 0.8 per cent down at S$1.25 on Wednesday.
Sasseur Real Estate Investment Trust (Sasseur Reit): The manager of the Reit posted that rental income for the first quarter ended March rose 1.6 per cent year on year to 175.4 million yuan (S$32.5 million), from 172.6 million yuan in the previous corresponding period. However, the rental income was 0.2 per cent lower in Singapore dollar, mainly due to the depreciation of yuan against the Singapore dollar, the manager said on Thursday. Units of Sasseur reit closed 1.6 per cent or S$0.01 higher at S$0.64 on Wednesday.
Manulife US Real Estate Investment Trust (Manulife US Reit): It posted a portfolio occupancy of 69.9 per cent for its first quarter ended March, down from 73.9 per cent in the previous quarter. The manager of the pure-play US office Reit said that this was largely due to the expiry of leases at its Diablo property in the submarket of Tempe, Arizona. Notable leases executed over the quarter included the Phipps’ and Centerpointe’s new leases of 27,000 square feet (sq ft) and 29,000 sq ft, respectively. Units of the Manulife US Reit closed 1.6 per cent or US$0.001 lower at US$0.063 on Wednesday.
SG Local News
Singapore life insurance industry sees 10.9% growth in Q1 2025 premiums
Singapore’s life insurance industry recorded $1.14b (S$1.48b) in weighted new business premiums for Q1 2025, marking a 10.9% increase year-on-year (YoY), according to data released by the Life Insurance Association, Singapore (LIA Singapore).
The growth was led by a 36.7% YoY increase in annual premium policies, which brought in $0.88b (S$1.14b) in weighted premiums.
In contrast, single premium policies declined 32.2% YoY to $0.26b (S$339.5m), though this represented a 5.2% increase compared to the previous quarter.
Singapore private rents rise 0.4% as demand rebounds in Q1
Singapore’s private rental market recorded a modest uptick in the first quarter of 2025, reversing a period of stagnation as demand returned following the year-end lull.
According to OrangeTee’s latest market report, “overall private rents rose marginally with small increases observed for both non-landed and landed properties.”
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