SG Morning Call | Singapore Stocks Open Higher on Friday; UOB and OCBC Jump After Earnings

Market Snapshot

Singapore stocks opened higher on Friday. STI rose 0.6%; NIO rose 3.7%; UOB rose 2.1%; YZJ Shipbldg rose 1.9%; Singtel rose 1.6%; OCBC rose 0.7%.

Stocks to Watch

$UOB(U11.SI)$: Its net profit for the third quarter ended September rose 16 per cent year on year to S$1.61 billion, beating consensus estimates on new record highs in net fee income, as well as trading and investment income. Earnings per share stood at S$3.79 versus S$3.23 in the year before, according to the bank’s results released on Friday. Shares of UOB closed S$0.61 or 1.9 per cent higher at S$33.30 on Thursday.

$OCBC(O39.SI)$: The lender’s third-quarter net profit rose 9 per cent year on year to S$1.97 billion on higher non-interest income and lower allowances. The earnings beat the S$1.9 billion consensus forecast in a Bloomberg survey of four analysts. Based on the results released on Friday, net interest income was down slightly at S$2.43 billion, though non-net interest income grew 41 per cent on the year to S$1.37 billion. Shares of OCBC closed 3.8 per cent or S$0.58 higher at S$15.88 on Thursday.

$Sats(S58.SI)$: The in-flight caterer and ground handler on Thursday announced a second-quarter profit of S$69.7 million for the 2025 financial year, soaring 214 per cent from the corresponding year-ago period. It declared an interim dividend of S$0.015 per share, payable on Dec 6. Shares of Sats ended 0.7 per cent or S$0.03 lower at S$3.98, before the announcement.

$Sasseur Reit(CRPU.SI)$: The Reit’s rental income for its third quarter ended September fell 2 per cent on the year to 158.6 million yuan (S$29.3 million) from 161.9 million yuan. On Friday, its manager said the decline was largely due to a 14 per cent fall in outlet sales. Units of the Reit closed 2.2 per cent or S$0.015 lower at S$0.68 on Thursday. 

$Far East Orchard(O10.SI)$: Its net profit for the nine months ended September more than doubled to S$16.9 million, said the property investment company on Thursday. This was attributed to a strong first-half operating performance despite higher financing expenses. Far East Orchard shares closed flat at S$1.03, before the business update.

$Daiwa Hse Log Tr(DHLU.SI)$: The Reit’s distributable income for the nine months ended September fell 5.5 per cent year on year to S$25.5 million from S$27 million. This was largely a result of a weaker yen against the Singapore dollar, said its manager on Friday. Units of the Reit closed on Thursday S$0.025 or 4.2 per cent lower at S$0.565.

$UtdHampshReitUSD(ODBU.SI)$: Its distributable income for the third quarter ended September fell 14.6 per cent to US$6 million, from US$7.1 million in the previous corresponding period. On Friday, its manager said the decline comes amid lower occupancy, higher interest costs and the absence of contributions from divested properties. Units of the Reit closed 1.1 per cent or US$0.005 higher at US$0.46 on Thursday.

SG Local News

OCBC Says 2024 Targets on Track After Q3 Profit Beat

Singapore's Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp said it was firmly placed to achieve its 2024 targets after posting on Friday a 9% rise in third-quarter net profit that beat market expectations.

Southeast-Asia's second-largest lender by assets after compatriot DBS said July-September net profit increased to S$1.97 billion ($1.49 billion) from S$1.81 billion a year earlier, beating the mean estimate of nearly S$1.91 billion from analysts polled by LSEG.

OCBC said it was set to achieve full-year net interest margin, a key profitability gauge, at around the 2.20% level, as well as low single-digit loan growth, full-year credit costs in the range of 20 basis points and return on equity above 14%.

UOB Sees Better Loan Growth in 2025 as Q3 Profit Hits Record

Singapore's United Overseas Bank, or UOB, posted a faster-than-expected rise in third quarter net profit to a record, helped by brisk trading and investment, and flagged a pick up in loans growth next year.

Southeast Asia's third-largest bank by assets said on Friday July-September net profit jumped 16% to a record S$1.61 billion ($1.22 billion) from a year earlier. This beat the mean estimate of almost S$1.50 billion from four analysts polled by LSEG.

UOB Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Wee Ee Cheong projected high single-digit loan growth for 2025, versus low single-digit for 2024, according to slides accompanying the earnings results.

Aussie Telecom Regulator Fines Optus $8 Mln over Emergency Services Outage

Australian telecom watchdog has fined Optus A$12 million ($7.99 million) for failing to provide emergency call services to thousands during a nationwide outage last year, the regulator said early on Friday.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said it found 2,145 customers could not access the emergency call service during the outage last November that left half the population without internet or phone for much of the day.

Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications, acknowledged ACMA's announcement and said it had made "changes to better manage emergency calls during network challenges".

Changi Airport to Raise Fees to Fund S$3 Billion Investment to Improve Services

Fees at Singapore’s Changi Airport will be raised from 2025 to fund a S$3 billion investment to improve airport services, as well as to cover higher operating costs and investments made during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Passenger fees are estimated to go up by 1 per cent or less for an economy-class ticket on most flights departing from or connecting through Singapore.

Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) director-general Han Kok Juan told the media on Thursday (Nov 7) that while travel has largely recovered, the airport has not been spared from increasing cost pressures.