logo
CIMB to Name Malaysia's Former Top Regulator Syed Zaid as Chairman

CIMB to Name Malaysia's Former Top Regulator Syed Zaid as Chairman

Bloomberg03-06-2025

CIMB Group Holdings Bhd., the top underwriter of Malaysian stocks and bonds, is set to name the former head of Securities Commission Malaysia, Syed Zaid Albar, as chairman, people familiar with the matter said.
Syed Zaid will replace Mohd Nasir Ahmad, who will retire, the people said, asking not to be identified before an announcement. The appointment also needs regulatory approval, they said.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

99 Speed Mart's Southeast Asia 500 debut is the latest milestone for the company and its founder, a childhood polio survivor
99 Speed Mart's Southeast Asia 500 debut is the latest milestone for the company and its founder, a childhood polio survivor

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

99 Speed Mart's Southeast Asia 500 debut is the latest milestone for the company and its founder, a childhood polio survivor

99 Speed Mart, one of Malaysia's largest convenience store chains, is one of the newest firms on the Southeast Asia 500, making its debut after its 2024 IPO, Malaysia's largest in seven years. With $2.2 billion in revenue, 99 Speed Mart generated enough sales to land it at No. 158 on Fortune's ranking of the largest Southeast Asian companies by revenue. The company currently has 2,833 outlets and 20 distribution centers across the country, and plans to reach 3,000 outlets by the end of the year. But 99 Speed Mart's story is also as much a story about its founder, Lee Thiam Wah, as it is about the growth of a convenience store chain. Lee contracted polio at a young age and subsequently lost the use of his legs. He's been wheelchair-bound for much of his life. 'Nobody would hire me due to my physical limitations,' he told Forbes in a 2010 interview. In that interview, he quoted advice from his paternal grandfather: 'If you don't work hard, what will you amount to?' Lee's retail career got its start when he started selling snacks from a roadside stall. He then opened his first mini market in 1987 as a sole proprietorship, then established Ninety Nine Market in 1992. By 1998, he had a network of 8 mini markets, and established 99 Speed Mart two years later. Now, 99 Speed Mart is the largest mini-market player in Malaysia, according to its IPO prospectus. 99 Speed Mart holds 40% of the market against global competition like 7-Eleven, and the chain also has an 11% share of the grocery market. The company raised $532 million in an IPO last September, Malaysia's largest in seven years. The listing made Lee a billionaire, and one of Malaysia's richest men. 99 Speed Mart plans to use the IPO proceeds to fund its global expansion. In an interview with Bloomberg after the listing, Lee said he's looking for 'good opportunities' to go overseas, but has no 'concrete plans' as of yet. (99 Speed Mart briefly had an outlet in Singapore, before withdrawing due to the COVID pandemic). In addition to being the CEO of 99 Speed Mart, Lee also operates franchising rights for Burger King in Malaysia and Singapore, and is the third-largest shareholder of Alliance Bank Malaysia, according to Bloomberg. Shares in 99 Speed Mart are up 9.57% since September's IPO. Malaysia's benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI index is down about 8% over the same period. This story was originally featured on

Investors Could Be Concerned With DS Sigma Holdings Berhad's (KLSE:DSS) Returns On Capital
Investors Could Be Concerned With DS Sigma Holdings Berhad's (KLSE:DSS) Returns On Capital

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Investors Could Be Concerned With DS Sigma Holdings Berhad's (KLSE:DSS) Returns On Capital

What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think DS Sigma Holdings Berhad (KLSE:DSS) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be. Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on DS Sigma Holdings Berhad is: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.093 = RM11m ÷ (RM135m - RM15m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2025). So, DS Sigma Holdings Berhad has an ROCE of 9.3%. On its own that's a low return, but compared to the average of 7.3% generated by the Packaging industry, it's much better. View our latest analysis for DS Sigma Holdings Berhad Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for DS Sigma Holdings Berhad's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you're interested in investigating DS Sigma Holdings Berhad's past further, check out this free graph covering DS Sigma Holdings Berhad's past earnings, revenue and cash flow. In terms of DS Sigma Holdings Berhad's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 9.3% from 45% five years ago. Meanwhile, the business is utilizing more capital but this hasn't moved the needle much in terms of sales in the past 12 months, so this could reflect longer term investments. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line. On a related note, DS Sigma Holdings Berhad has decreased its current liabilities to 11% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. Effectively this means their suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of the business, which reduces some elements of risk. Since the business is basically funding more of its operations with it's own money, you could argue this has made the business less efficient at generating ROCE. In summary, DS Sigma Holdings Berhad is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. And investors appear hesitant that the trends will pick up because the stock has fallen 37% in the last year. Therefore based on the analysis done in this article, we don't think DS Sigma Holdings Berhad has the makings of a multi-bagger. If you want to know some of the risks facing DS Sigma Holdings Berhad we've found 2 warning signs (1 is significant!) that you should be aware of before investing here. While DS Sigma Holdings Berhad isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets. — Investing narratives with Fair Values Vita Life Sciences Set for a 12.72% Revenue Growth While Tackling Operational Challenges By Robbo – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: A$2.42 · 0.1% Overvalued Vossloh rides a €500 billion wave to boost growth and earnings in the next decade By Chris1 – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: €78.41 · 0.1% Overvalued Intuitive Surgical Will Transform Healthcare with 12% Revenue Growth By Unike – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: $325.55 · 0.6% Undervalued View more featured narratives — Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Bank of America Stock (BAC) Nears Record High as Pivotal Earnings Report Looms
Bank of America Stock (BAC) Nears Record High as Pivotal Earnings Report Looms

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Bank of America Stock (BAC) Nears Record High as Pivotal Earnings Report Looms

Bank of America (BAC) is scheduled to report its Q2 2025 earnings on July 16, with analysts forecasting $0.90 per share, reflecting modest 8% year-over-year growth. I believe BAC is well-positioned to beat expectations, supported by conservative loan loss provisioning, ongoing share buybacks, strength in its Global Markets division, and higher net interest income amid slower-than-expected Federal Reserve rate cuts. Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter BAC stock currently trades at $45, within striking distance of its all-time high of $47 per share. With resistance clearly set, BAC stock will need a strong catalyst to make further headway beyond $50 per share. Given the lack of clear catalysts, I remain Neutral on BAC stock. It currently trades at 1.66x tangible book value and 12.6x 2025 earnings—a valuation that's lower than peers like JPMorgan Chase (JPM), but still richer than that of many U.S. regional banks. Heading into Q2 2025, Bank of America's provisioning appears notably conservative. The bank's macroeconomic outlook assumes an unemployment rate of just below 5% by the end of 2025, remaining at that level through 2026, which is slightly more pessimistic than the Federal Reserve's projection of 4.5% for both years. Similarly, Bank of America forecasts 1% GDP growth in Q4 2025, undercutting the Fed's more optimistic estimate of 1.4%. In short, Bank of America's current reserves already reflect a cautious economic view, making it unlikely to build a significant provision in Q2 2025. The bank appears to have already accounted for a moderate economic slowdown later this year and into 2026. Analysts expect Bank of America to deliver earnings of $0.90/share in Q2 2025, up 8% year-over-year. This would represent a marked slowdown from the 18% annual increase observed in the first quarter of 2025. I believe the projected 8% EPS growth is overly conservative. Based on my estimates, share repurchases alone could contribute around 5% EPS growth. Additionally, Bank of America is likely to raise its net interest income (NII) guidance, as the Federal Reserve is now expected to deliver only two rate cuts in 2025, compared to the four cuts the bank had initially anticipated in its own outlook. I also expect slightly stronger performance from the Global Markets division, supported by heightened market volatility early in Q2 2025, which could contribute a paltry $0.02 per share to earnings. In summary, I expect Bank of America to modestly beat consensus earnings estimates, driven by conservative provisioning, upward NII revisions, and a slight lift from trading activity. My forecast is EPS of approximately $0.92 for Q2 2025. Based on my projections, Bank of America is on track to deliver earnings of approximately $3.57 per share in 2025, assuming consistent 8% growth in both Q3 and Q4 of 2024. This would translate to a return on tangible book value of around 13% for the year. However, this solid profitability appears to be largely priced in, with BAC stock trading at 1.66x its tangible book value of $27.12 per share. Its 2025 P/E multiple of 12.6x is more attractive than that of large peers like JPMorgan Chase (14.6x), but still above the average for regional banks, which trade closer to 10.7x forward earnings. Looking ahead to 2026, earnings growth is expected to moderate, with no repeat of the Global Markets tailwind and potential pressure from anticipated Fed rate cuts. Given this outlook, I believe a Hold rating is appropriate for BAC at current levels. This cautious stance is also supported by Berkshire Hathaway's ongoing reduction in its BAC stake, despite the stock remaining the firm's fourth-largest holding, which comprises 10.19% of Buffett's portfolio. The limited upside potential suggests it's wise to stay neutral for now. Turning to Wall Street, Bank of America earns a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 18 Buy and 2 Hold ratings over the past three months. Notably, not a single analyst is bearish on Bank of America. The average BAC stock price target is $49.38, implying a 9% potential upside. Bank of America's macroeconomic outlook remains more conservative than the Federal Reserve's, which suggests its earnings are better insulated in the event of a slowdown in U.S. economic activity later in 2025 and into 2026. I expect BAC to slightly beat Q2 2025 earnings estimates, supported by stronger net interest income, continued share repurchases, and a modest profitability boost from the Global Markets division. That said, I remain neutral on the stock. Like Warren Buffett, who has recently trimmed Berkshire's position in BAC, I believe the bank's solid profitability is already reflected in the stock's price, which trades at 1.66x tangible book value. Lastly, while Wall Street analysts maintain a Strong Buy rating, the implied upside of just 9.59% suggests limited near-term reward for new investors at current levels. Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store