ThaiBev - Stock Analyst Research

Target Price*SGD 0.67
Recommendation BUY
Market Cap*-
Publication Date15 Feb 2024

*At the time of publication

Thai Beverage PLC - No celebrations, yet

  • Results were within expectations. 1Q24 revenue and EBITDA were at 26%/27% of our FY24e forecasts. 1Q24 EBITDA rose 1.9% YoY to Bt13.8bn.
  • 1Q24 beer revenue suffered a 14% YoY decline in revenue, consistent with the 15% drop in volumes. Spirits operations were stable with revenue largely flat YoY. Margins for both businesses rebounded on lower production costs and marketing spend.
  • We maintain our FY24e forecasts. Our BUY recommendation and target price of S$0.75 is unchanged. We peg our target price to 16x FY24e core earnings, the 3-year historical average. Listed associates are valued at market valuations. We remain positive on the recovery of volumes this year as economic conditions improve via government stimulus and a rebound in exports.

 

 

The Positive

+ Margin improvement. There was margin improvement, especially in the beer segment. We believe the improvement came largely at Sabeco through a combination of lower production costs and more disciplined spending on advertising and printing. Spirits margins were stable as the product mix of higher-margin brown spirits rose.

The Negative

– Volumes still falling for beer. Beer volumes were down in the teens for the past four quarters with the sharpest decline in 1Q24. For calendar 2023, volumes were down 12% YoY, only 4% points lower than the 16% drop in pandemic hit 2020. The slowdown in macro conditions in Vietnam has hurt consumption spending and distributor confidence to stock up.

 

Outlook

Recovery in 2024 highly depends on the strength of Thailand’s and Vietnam’s economies. We believe there is room for optimism in Thailand with planned fiscal stimulus, a cut in excise tax for spirits (from 10% to 0%), and the possible removal of prohibited periods (2 pm-5 pm) to sell alcohol. We do expect a slower recovery in Sabeco. Tet sales in Vietnam appear to be sluggish, with dealers and supermarkets being more cautious in building up inventory. Competition in prices and giveaways remains intense.

 

Maintain BUY with unchanged TP of S$0.67

Our target price is maintained at S$0.67. Valuations are based on a 3-year historical average of 16x PE and listed associates are valued at a 20% discount to current market prices.

About the author

Paul Chew
Head of Research
Phillip Securities Research Pte Ltd

Paul has 20 years of experience as a fund manager and sell-side analyst. During his time as fund manager, he has managed multiple funds and mandates including capital guaranteed, dividend income, renewable energy, single country and regionally focused funds.

He graduated from Monash University and had completed both his Chartered Financial Analyst and Australian CPA programme.

Latest Reports

Contact us to Open an Account

Need Assistance? Share your Details and we’ll get back to you

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

This material is provided by Phillip Capital Management (S) Ltd (“PCM”) for general information only and does not constitute a recommendation, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of any offer to invest in any of the exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) or the unit trust (“Products”) mentioned herein. It does not have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation and any of your particular needs. You should read the Prospectus and the accompanying Product Highlights Sheet (“PHS”) for key features, key risks and other important information of the Products and obtain advice from a financial adviser (“FA“) pursuant to a separate engagement before making a commitment to invest in the Products. In the event that you choose not to obtain advice from a FA, you should assess whether the Products are suitable for you before proceeding to invest. A copy of the Prospectus and PHS are available from PCM, any of its Participating Dealers (“PDs“) for the ETF, or any of its authorised distributors for the unit trust managed by PCM.  

An ETF is not like a typical unit trust as the units of the ETF (the “Units“) are to be listed and traded like any share on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (“SGX-ST”). Listing on the SGX-ST does not guarantee a liquid market for the Units which may be traded at prices above or below its NAV or may be suspended or delisted. Investors may buy or sell the Units on SGX-ST when it is listed. Investors cannot create or redeem Units directly with PCM and have no rights to request PCM to redeem or purchase their Units. Creation and redemption of Units are through PDs if investors are clients of the PDs, who have no obligation to agree to create or redeem Units on behalf of any investor and may impose terms and conditions in connection with such creation or redemption orders. Please refer to the Prospectus of the ETF for more details.  

Investments are subject to investment risks including the possible loss of the principal amount invested. The purchase of a unit in a fund is not the same as placing your money on deposit with a bank or deposit-taking company. There is no guarantee as to the amount of capital invested or return received. The value of the units and the income accruing to the units may fall or rise. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of the future or likely performance of the Products. There can be no assurance that investment objectives will be achieved.  

Where applicable, fund(s) may invest in financial derivatives and/or participate in securities lending and repurchase transactions for the purpose of hedging and/or efficient portfolio management, subject to the relevant regulatory requirements. PCM reserves the discretion to determine if currency exposure should be hedged actively, passively or not at all, in the best interest of the Products.  

The regular dividend distributions, out of either income and/or capital, are not guaranteed and subject to PCM’s discretion. Past payout yields and payments do not represent future payout yields and payments. Such dividend distributions will reduce the available capital for reinvestment and may result in an immediate decrease in the net asset value (“NAV”) of the Products. Please refer to <www.phillipfunds.com> for more information in relation to the dividend distributions.  

The information provided herein may be obtained or compiled from public and/or third party sources that PCM has no reason to believe are unreliable. Any opinion or view herein is an expression of belief of the individual author or the indicated source (as applicable) only. PCM makes no representation or warranty that such information is accurate, complete, verified or should be relied upon as such. The information does not constitute, and should not be used as a substitute for tax, legal or investment advice.  

The information herein are not for any person in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or availability for use would contravene any applicable law or regulation or would subject PCM to any registration or licensing requirement in such jurisdiction or country. The Products is not offered to U.S. Persons. PhillipCapital Group of Companies, including PCM, their affiliates and/or their officers, directors and/or employees may own or have positions in the Products. Any member of the PhillipCapital Group of Companies may have acted upon or used the information, analyses and opinions herein before they have been published. 

This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.  

 

Phillip Capital Management (S) Ltd (Co. Reg. No. 199905233W)  
250 North Bridge Road #06-00, Raffles City Tower ,Singapore 179101 
Tel: (65) 6230 8133 Fax: (65) 65383066 www.phillipfunds.com