SGX Market Strategist, Equity & Fixed Income, Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)

Geoff Howie

SGX Market Strategist, Equity & Fixed Income

Asia’s leading multi-asset exchange

Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)

Singapore Exchange is Asia’s leading and trusted market infrastructure, facilitating the exchange of capital and ideas to create value for people, businesses and economies. As a multi-asset exchange operating equity, fixed income and derivatives markets to the highest regulatory standards, SGX is a vertically integrated business that provides listing, trading, clearing, settlement, depository and data services.

With about 40% of listed companies and over 80% of listed bonds originating outside of Singapore as well as established linkages across the region and in Europe, SGX is Asia’s most international and connected exchange. Offering a full suite of derivatives products across Asian equity indices, commodities and currencies, SGX is the world’s most liquid international market for the benchmark equity indices of China, India, Japan and ASEAN.

As Asia’s pioneering central counterparty, SGX is globally recognised for its risk management and clearing capabilities, and was one of the first globally to adopt the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructure.

Headquartered in AAA-rated Singapore, SGX has over 800 employees including offices in Beijing, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, New York, Mumbai, San Francisco, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul><li>Institutions were net sellers of Singapore stocks with a net outflow of S$53 million from August 15-21.</li><li>ISOTeam secured S$22.5 million in new contracts, boosting its order book to S$181.1 million for 24 months.</li><li>Q & M Dental Group raised S$130 million from a Multicurrency Debt Issuance Programme for organic expansion and M&A.</li></ul>

Institutions were net sellers of Singapore stocks with a net outflow of S$53 million from August 15-21.ISOTeam secured S$22.5 million in new contracts, boosting its order book to S$181.1 million for 24 months.Q & M Dental Group raised S$130 million from a Multicurrency Debt Issuance Programme for organic expansion and M&A.

Wave Of Director Acquisitions as Local Rally Takes a Breather

Dealing, Product Financing and Custody Services, Tickrs

Tickrs

Dealing, Product Financing and Custody Services

Tickrs Financial Singapore Pte Ltd (TFS) obtained Capital Markets Services (CMS) License from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in 2022. Product offering include stock trading services across 10 global markets, futures trading, fixed income and wealth management products offering.

<ul><li>We initiate coverage on Metro Holdings Ltd (“Metro”) with a BUY rating and a 12-month target price of S$0.50, implying approximately 28% upside from the last close of S$0.39.</li><li>Metro’s share price reflects a deep discount to book value – trading at only around 0.25× P/B versus net assets of approximately S$1.2 billion as of March 2025.</li><li>Despite near-term headwinds — notably significant non-cash fair value losses in China during FY2025 — Metro’s diversified property investments in Singapore, China, the UK, Australia, and Indonesia provide multiple growth levers, while its legacy retail business continues to generate stable cash flow.</li></ul>

We initiate coverage on Metro Holdings Ltd (“Metro”) with a BUY rating and a 12-month target price of S$0.50, implying approximately 28% upside from the last close of S$0.39.Metro’s share price reflects a deep discount to book value – trading at only around 0.25× P/B versus net assets of approximately S$1.2 billion as of March 2025.Despite near-term headwinds — notably significant non-cash fair value losses in China during FY2025 — Metro’s diversified property investments in Singapore, China, the UK, Australia, and Indonesia provide multiple growth levers, while its legacy retail business continues to generate stable cash flow.

Metro Holdings Initiation : Navigating Transition, Unlocking Value

IPOs and Catalysts/Events, Global Equity Research Ltd

Arun George

IPOs and Catalysts/Events

Uncompromised, Independent, Conflict-Free Research

Global Equity Research Ltd

Global Equity Research was started in 2017 by a group of experienced research professionals. It was founded on a passionate belief in the importance and the need for uncompromised, independent, conflict-free research. We aim to provide differentiated and actionable primary and bottom up fundamental research.

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>The Ong directors tried every trick in the book to derail the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hwa-hong-corp-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6648:1" rel="noopener">Hwa Hong Corp (HWAH SP)</a> offer. The trump card was hiring Evercore to attract competing offers by 25 July.</li>
<li>The Board confirmed today that there are no competing offers. This is a catalyst for shareholders sitting on the fence to accept the S$0.40 per share offer.</li>
<li>The offer closes on 1 August. While meeting the 50%+ minimum acceptance condition will be a close-run, we think it will be met. The gross spread is 5.3%.     </li>
</ul>


The Ong directors tried every trick in the book to derail the Hwa Hong Corp (HWAH SP) offer. The trump card was hiring Evercore to attract competing offers by 25 July.
The Board confirmed today that there are no competing offers. This is a catalyst for shareholders sitting on the fence to accept the S$0.40 per share offer.
The offer closes on 1 August. While meeting the 50%+ minimum acceptance condition will be a close-run, we think it will be met. The gross spread is 5.3%.     


<ul>
<li>The IFA considers the S$0.40 per share offer for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hwa-hong-corp-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6648:1" rel="noopener">Hwa Hong Corp (HWAH SP)</a> to be fair and reasonable. Consequently, the recommending directors recommend that shareholders accept the offer.  </li>
<li>The offer which closes on 28 June continues to be subject to a 50%+ minimum acceptance condition. The offeror including valid acceptances represents 24.86% of outstanding shares.</li>
<li>Ong directors/families (29.26% stake) will not accept the offer hoping for an increasingly unlikely superior proposal. The shares are trading tight to terms (1.3% gross spread).</li>
</ul>


The IFA considers the S$0.40 per share offer for Hwa Hong Corp (HWAH SP) to be fair and reasonable. Consequently, the recommending directors recommend that shareholders accept the offer.  
The offer which closes on 28 June continues to be subject to a 50%+ minimum acceptance condition. The offeror including valid acceptances represents 24.86% of outstanding shares.
Ong directors/families (29.26% stake) will not accept the offer hoping for an increasingly unlikely superior proposal. The shares are trading tight to terms (1.3% gross spread).


Hwa Hong’s Directors Recommend Accepting the S$0.40 Voluntary Conditional Offer

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ASCOTT Residence Trust Ascott Trust: HMN -0.51% (ART) announced last week that it will acquire a student accommodation property in Texas, in the United States, which will be its third student accommodation asset investment this year.

While ART may be the first Singapore-listed trust to venture into student housing as S-Reits continue to diversify across property sub-segments, there are other Singapore-listed companies such as Singapore Press Holdings SPH: T39 +1.03% , Far East Orchard Far East Orchard: O10 -3.64% , Centurion Corporation Centurion: OU8 0% , Wee Hur Wee Hur: E3B 0% , and Metro Holdings Metro: M01 0% that invest, own, and manage purpose built student accommodation assets (PBSA).

According to Knight Frank, global investments in PBSA reached a record US$16.3 billion in 2018.

Savills considers the PBSA sector to be counter-cyclical and notes in a report that it was one of the few asset classes that showed resilience during the global financial crisis in 2008.

In addition, data collated by Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL) has shown that over a third of deals for student housing in 2021 so far have been by private equity firms, as investors continue to seek exposure to alternative real estate sectors.

ART's most recent acquisition is a freehold 1,005-bed student accommodation asset in Lubbock, Texas, for S$93.8 million. Wildwood Lubbock is a cottage-style property that is fully leased for the 2021 academic year and serves over 40,000 students from Texas Tech University.

The trust expects the acquisition to increase its pro forma FY2020 distribution per stapled security by approximately 1.5 per cent.

It also notes the longer average leases of student housing at one year, versus hotel stays.

ART has acquired four longer-stay accommodation assets this year, after expanding its strategy and diversifying its portfolio from traditional hospitality assets, further increasing its resilience and stable income.

Its two other student housing assets are in Atlanta (acquired in February 2021 for S$126.3 million) and South Carolina (acquired in June 2021 for S$73.4 million), both in the US.

In June 2021, ART also acquired three rental housing properties in Sapporo, Japan for S$85.2 million.

Following the acquisitions, ART's rental housing and student accommodation properties will comprise about 11 per cent of its portfolio value, up from 5 per cent in end 2020. It has a medium-term target to expand it to 15 to 20 per cent.

CDL Hospitality Trust CDL HTrust: J85 -0.85% (CDLHT) in July this year has announced that it is revising its principal investment strategy to include rental housing, student accommodation and senior housing assets.

The trust sees the revision of its strategy as a way to bring more diversification to its portfolio, enhance income stability as tenants typically have longer lengths of stay compared to hotels, and expand its range of investment opportunities given its broader mandate.

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) has a portfolio of 28 PBSA assets in the UK with a total of 7,723 beds under its brands Capitol Students, Student Castle, and Galileo Residenz.

Far East Orchard owns a PBSA portfolio in the UK comprising over 3,500 beds in the cities of Brighton, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Sheffield.

Centurion Corporation has a PBSA segment with 19 assets in Australia, South Korea, the UK and US that accounted for 25 per cent of its revenue in H12021.

Wee Hur Holdings' PBSA business is undertaken via two of its funds which manage two operational assets, one asset pending operations and the rest at various stages of development.

Metro Holdings' PBSA portfolio consists of two properties in Warwick and Bristol, in the UK, and a 7.3 per cent investment in the Mapletree Global Student Accommodation Private Trust. 

REIT Watch is a weekly column on The Business Times, <a href="https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/ascott-joins-trend-of-hospitality-reits-pivoting-to-student-housing">read</a><a href="https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/10-s-reits-yielding-long-term-annualised-returns"> </a>the original version.
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    Reaching into rental homes, student housing.png


ASCOTT Residence Trust Ascott Trust: HMN -0.51% (ART) announced last week that it will acquire a student accommodation property in Texas, in the United States, which will be its third student accommodation asset investment this year.

While ART may be the first Singapore-listed trust to venture into student housing as S-Reits continue to diversify across property sub-segments, there are other Singapore-listed companies such as Singapore Press Holdings SPH: T39 +1.03% , Far East Orchard Far East Orchard: O10 -3.64% , Centurion Corporation Centurion: OU8 0% , Wee Hur Wee Hur: E3B 0% , and Metro Holdings Metro: M01 0% that invest, own, and manage purpose built student accommodation assets (PBSA).

According to Knight Frank, global investments in PBSA reached a record US$16.3 billion in 2018.

Savills considers the PBSA sector to be counter-cyclical and notes in a report that it was one of the few asset classes that showed resilience during the global financial crisis in 2008.

In addition, data collated by Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL) has shown that over a third of deals for student housing in 2021 so far have been by private equity firms, as investors continue to seek exposure to alternative real estate sectors.

ART's most recent acquisition is a freehold 1,005-bed student accommodation asset in Lubbock, Texas, for S$93.8 million. Wildwood Lubbock is a cottage-style property that is fully leased for the 2021 academic year and serves over 40,000 students from Texas Tech University.

The trust expects the acquisition to increase its pro forma FY2020 distribution per stapled security by approximately 1.5 per cent.

It also notes the longer average leases of student housing at one year, versus hotel stays.

ART has acquired four longer-stay accommodation assets this year, after expanding its strategy and diversifying its portfolio from traditional hospitality assets, further increasing its resilience and stable income.

Its two other student housing assets are in Atlanta (acquired in February 2021 for S$126.3 million) and South Carolina (acquired in June 2021 for S$73.4 million), both in the US.

In June 2021, ART also acquired three rental housing properties in Sapporo, Japan for S$85.2 million.

Following the acquisitions, ART's rental housing and student accommodation properties will comprise about 11 per cent of its portfolio value, up from 5 per cent in end 2020. It has a medium-term target to expand it to 15 to 20 per cent.

CDL Hospitality Trust CDL HTrust: J85 -0.85% (CDLHT) in July this year has announced that it is revising its principal investment strategy to include rental housing, student accommodation and senior housing assets.

The trust sees the revision of its strategy as a way to bring more diversification to its portfolio, enhance income stability as tenants typically have longer lengths of stay compared to hotels, and expand its range of investment opportunities given its broader mandate.

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) has a portfolio of 28 PBSA assets in the UK with a total of 7,723 beds under its brands Capitol Students, Student Castle, and Galileo Residenz.

Far East Orchard owns a PBSA portfolio in the UK comprising over 3,500 beds in the cities of Brighton, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Sheffield.

Centurion Corporation has a PBSA segment with 19 assets in Australia, South Korea, the UK and US that accounted for 25 per cent of its revenue in H12021.

Wee Hur Holdings' PBSA business is undertaken via two of its funds which manage two operational assets, one asset pending operations and the rest at various stages of development.

Metro Holdings' PBSA portfolio consists of two properties in Warwick and Bristol, in the UK, and a 7.3 per cent investment in the Mapletree Global Student Accommodation Private Trust. 

REIT Watch is a weekly column on The Business Times, read the original version.



REIT Watch - Ascott joins trend of hospitality Reits pivoting to student housing

Singapore

Metro Holdings Limited is a property investment and development group, and a retail operator. The company leases shopping and office spaces, invests in property-related ventures, and operates department stores. It also develops various properties including mixed-use, residential, commercial, and retail centers. Headquartered in Singapore, the company was founded in 1957.

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Metro (METRO SP)

Wave Of Director Acquisitions as Local Rally Takes a Breather

Institutions were net sellers of Singapore stocks with a net outflow of S$53 million from August 15-21. ISOTeam secured S$22.5 million in new...

Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)

Metro Holdings Initiation : Navigating Transition, Unlocking Value

We initiate coverage on Metro Holdings Ltd (“Metro”) with a BUY rating and a 12-month target price of S$0.50, implying approximately 28% upside...

Tickrs

Hwa Hong Confirms No Competing Offers

It will be close but we think the offer meets the 50%+ minimum acceptance condition. The offer lapses at 5:30 pm on 1 August. At the last close,...

Arun George

REIT Watch - Ascott joins trend of hospitality Reits pivoting to student housing

ASCOTT Residence Trust Ascott Trust: HMN -0.51% (ART) announced last week that it will acquire a student accommodation property...

Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

Wave Of Director Acquisitions as Local Rally Takes a Breather

Institutions were net sellers of Singapore stocks with a net outflow of S$53 million from August 15-21. ISOTeam secured S$22.5 million in new...

Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)

Metro Holdings Initiation : Navigating Transition, Unlocking Value

We initiate coverage on Metro Holdings Ltd (“Metro”) with a BUY rating and a 12-month target price of S$0.50, implying approximately 28% upside...

Tickrs

Hwa Hong Confirms No Competing Offers

It will be close but we think the offer meets the 50%+ minimum acceptance condition. The offer lapses at 5:30 pm on 1 August. At the last close,...

Arun George

Hwa Hong’s Directors Recommend Accepting the S$0.40 Voluntary Conditional Offer

We think that the offer will meet the 50%+ minimum acceptance condition. At the last close, the gross spread to the offer is 1.3%.

Arun George

REIT Watch - Ascott joins trend of hospitality Reits pivoting to student housing

ASCOTT Residence Trust Ascott Trust: HMN -0.51% (ART) announced last week that it will acquire a student accommodation property...

Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)