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Today's Headlines ASII
Astra International, one of the biggest companies that is listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (in terms of market capitalization), targets to boost its market share in Indonesia's automotive industry to 50 percent before the end of the year.
Although Astra International, one of Indonesia's biggest diversified conglomerates, has been affected by subdued car sales in Indonesia in recent years, the company remains comfortably within the top ten of biggest listed companies in terms of market capitalization on the Indonesia Stock Exchange.
Astra International, one of the largest diversified conglomerates in Indonesia, has always been one of investors' favorite blue chip stocks. Although the automotive sector contributes around half to the company's total revenue, Astra International is usually regarded the barometer of the Indonesian economy because the company is engaged in most key sectors of the economy. Thus, if the company is doing well, so is the Indonesian economy.
One of Indonesia's biggest diversified conglomerates (and therefore often labelled the barometer of the Indonesian economy), Astra International, posted a solid 25 percent year-on-year (y/y) growth of net profit to IDR 18.9 trillion (approx. USD $1.39 billion) in full-year 2017. Meanwhile, the company's net revenue rose 13.8 percent (y/y) to IDR 206.1 trillion (approx. USD $15.2 billion).
One of Indonesia's biggest conglomerates, Astra International, announced earlier this week that it decided to invest USD $150 million in ride-hailing app Go-Jek, Indonesia's first unicorn. Go-Jek, which delivers a range of on-demand services (but is most widely known for its online motorcycle and car taxi services), is now valued at USD $4 billion.
Astra International, one of Indonesia's largest diversified conglomerates, announced it will develop a luxurious residential apartment complex, called Arumaya, in South Jakarta in cooperation with Hongkong Land, a Hong Kong-based multinational property investment, management and development group. The complex is estimated to require investments worth IDR 1 trillion (approx. USD $75 million).
Astra International, one of Indonesia's largest diversified conglomerates, sold 398,995 cars in the first eight months of the year, up 9 percent year-on-year (y/y) from the company's car sales in the January-August 2016 period. The Astra Group, the biggest force in Indonesia's automotive sector, now controls 56 percent of the nation's car sales market.
Riska Afriani, analyst at OSO Sekuritas, believes Indonesia's big cap stocks have limited room to advance in the remainder of 2017 because they have already shown significant growth so far in 2017 (in line with the rising benchmark Jakarta Composite Index that touched a record high in July 2017). However, some big caps may still show some more marked movement than others.
Astra International, one of the largest publicly-listed companies in Indonesia, saw its net profit rise 31 percent year-on-year (y/y) to IDR 9.36 trillion (approx. USD $704 million) in the first half of 2017. These earnings were supported by improving earnings from most of the diversified conglomerate's business segments. But as the company generates nearly half of its earnings from the automotive sector, the 9.4 percent (y/y) increase in the company's car sales was particularly key to boost growth.
Astra International is one of the largest companies in terms of market capitalization on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The company is often labeled the barometer of the Indonesian economy because this diversified conglomerate is active in most of the major sectors of the economy. Therefore, it is interesting to take a look at the performance of this company when formulating forecasts about Indonesia's economic growth.
Latest Columns ASII
Expectation of rising fresh fruit bunches (FFB) and crude palm oil (CPO) volumes in the second half of the year should boost the corporate earnings of Astra Agro Lestari, one of Indonesia's leading agribusiness companies. Meanwhile, sentiments related to the La Nina weather phenomenon and rising CPO demand on the back of the Indonesian government's biodiesel program should support CPO prices. Astra Agro Lestari is the plantation unit of diversified conglomerate Astra International.
One of the leading diversified conglomerates in Indonesia, Astra International, is facing challenges. Demand for cars has been on the decline in Indonesia over the past two years. This is a big challenge for the company because the automotive sector accounts for about half of Astra's total earnings. Meanwhile, its heavy equipment & mining segment and the financial services segment have been under severe pressure. Net income in the heavy equipment & mining segment plunged 55 percent (y/y) in Q1-2016, while net income in the financial services segment tumbled 46 percent (y/y) over the same period.
Astra International, one of Indonesia's largest diversified conglomerates and regarded the barometer of the Indonesian economy due to the company's presence in most sectors of the economy, posted a 22 percent (y/y) decline in net profit to IDR 3.11 trillion in the first quarter of 2016. Meanwhile, its revenue fell 7 percent (y/y) to IDR 41.89 trillion over the same period. The weak financial performance was particularly attributed to weak earnings of the company's heavy equipment unit United Tractors. Shares of Astra International fell 5.21 percent on Wednesday's trading day (27/04) to a seven-week low.
The plan of Indonesian palm oil producer Astra Agro Lestari to raise IDR 4 trillion (approx. USD $305 million) through a (preemptive) rights issue by issuing 450 million new shares has caused great volatility in the performance of the company's shares listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). On 11 April the rights issue plan will be discussed at an extraordinary general meeting and if approved the rights issue will be conducted within 12 months. The company decided to seek this corporate action in order to pay off debt.
Both car sales and motorcycle sales declined in 2015 in Indonesia. Primary reason for this decline was people's weaker purchasing power amid the slowing economy and persistently low commodity prices. Indonesia's GDP growth is estimated to have fallen to 4.7 percent year-on-year (y/y), the slowest growth pace since 2009. Meanwhile, amid the sluggish global economy (especially China's slowdown) and falling oil prices, Indonesia gains relatively little from its commodity exports.
The performance of Astra International, one of Indonesia's leading diversified conglomerates (but particularly known for being the dominant force in the country's automotive industry), is expected to improve next year on the arrival of new car models, estimated accelerated economic growth and its rivals' stagnating production capacity expansion. As such, Astra International should be able to increase its market share and feel less need to offer its cars to customers at discounted rates.
The Indonesian rupiah touched a 17-year low as the currency continued to depreciate amid persistent bullish US dollar momentum. The rupiah weakened to IDR 13,539 per US dollar according to the Bloomberg Dollar Index on Friday (31/07). The US Commerce Department announced on Thursday (30/07) that US gross domestic product (GDP) expanded at 2.3 percent (year-on-year) in the second quarter of 2015, giving rise to heightened expectation that the US Federal Reserve will raise its key interest rate soon.
Ahead of the release of Indonesia’s official first quarter GDP growth figure (scheduled to be released in the first week of May), Indonesian stocks fell and the rupiah depreciated (slightly) against the US dollar on the back of weak market sentiments that have plagued Indonesian markets over the past week. Most importantly, weaker-than-expected Q1-2015 corporate earnings reports of listed Indonesian blue chips have made market participants concerned that Indonesia’s economic slowdown has continued into the first quarter of 2015.
Although at the end of Wednesday’s trading day (11/06) Indonesia’s benchmark stock index (known as the Jakarta Composite Index or IHSG) was up, the index had been moving in the red zone during most of the day. Moreover, the index did not get support from the Indonesia rupiah exchange rate nor did it get support from Asian stock indices which tended to decline after yesterday’s weakening indices on Wall Street. Fortunately, foreign investors recorded net buying, thus contributing to the 0.52 percent growth of the IHSG to 4,971.95 points.
Despite foreign investors recording a net buy on the Jakarta Composite Index on Thursday (31/10), a depreciating rupiah as well as falling stock indices across Asia made investors concerned. Thus, the benchmark index of Indonesia followed the pace of other Asian indices and ended on 4,510.63 points (a 1.40 percent fall). The outcome of the Federal Reserve's FOMC meeting did not support the rupiah. On the contrary, the rupiah fell after the Fed stated to continue quantitative easing but that the tapering may start sooner than expected.
