Leon Fuat Berhad Archives

Leon Fuat Shareholders Approve Dividend for FY2022

Shareholders also approved all other resolutions at AGM

Leon Fuat Berhad, a manufacturer and trader of steel products specialising in rolled long and flat steel, would like to announce that shareholders have approved all resolutions at the Group’s 16th AGM today.

Calvin Ooi Shang How, Executive Director of Leon Fuat

Shareholders approved a resolution to pay out a final single tier dividend of 1.5 sen per share for the financial year ended 31 December 2022 (“FY2022”).

Resolutions to re-elect Mr. Ooi Seng Khong, Mr. Ooi Kong Tiong and Mr. Ng Kok Teong as directors were also approved as were resolutions to retain Mr. Chan Kee Loin, Mr. Tan Did Heng and Mr. Tan Sack Sen as independent directors.

Baker Tilly Monteiro Heng PLT was also re-appointed as the Group’s auditors for FY2023, with shareholders also authorising the directors to fix its remuneration.

Calvin Ooi Shang How, Executive Director of Leon Fuat said, “We had a smooth physical AGM and would like to thank all who made this shareholders’ meeting a success. The Group is cautiously optimistic of the outlook for FY2023 and will continue to seek opportunities to diversify products and services as well as the customer base to ensure earnings sustainability. We also will continue to monitor steel prices as well as related foreign currencies and take proactive measures such as through negotiating forward contracts and prudent inventory management to mitigate the risks to the business.”

“We would like to thank our shareholders who attended our physical AGM which allows us to have an effective engagement and who have been with us through thick and thin. The Group appreciates their trust and confidence and will continue to work to create value despite the challenging macroeconomic outlook. We view positively the recent announcement of Malaysia’s better-than-expected 5.6% year-on-year economic growth as this is a good indicator of the country’s economic strength that we would want to leverage on.”

Leon Fuat Berhad: [BURSA: LEFU] , https://www.leonfuat.com.my/

Leon Fuat Records Revenue of RM1.03 Billion for the FY2022

LEON FUAT BERHAD, a manufacturer and trader of steel products specialising in rolled long and flat steel, today announced that the Group reported a 15.6% increase in revenue to RM1.03 billion for the financial year ended 31 December 2022 (FY2022) compared with RM886.58 million recorded for the preceding financial year (FY2021).

For the financial year under review, the Group reported a profit before tax (PBT) of RM36.92 million, a 78.6% decrease compared with RM172.85 million for the FY2021. For the FY2022, the Group registered profit after tax (PAT) of RM29.54 million, a 78.3% decrease compared with RM135.98 million for the FY2021.

The Group reported revenue of RM238.15 million for the fourth quarter ended 31 December 2022 (Q4FY2022), which is a 6.3% decrease compared with RM254.21 million reported for the corresponding quarter of the preceding financial year (Q4FY2021).

For the Q4FY2022, the Group recorded a loss before tax of RM7.49 million compared with PBT of RM38.61 million registered for the Q4FY2021 while a net loss of RM5.14 million was reported for the Q4FY2022 as compared with PAT of RM29.09 million recorded for the Q4FY2021.

For the quarter under review, the trading segment contributed 32.7% to revenue while the processing segment contributed 67.2%.

Calvin Ooi Shang How, Executive Director of Leon Fuat said, “While there was an increase in revenue for the FY2022 attributable to the increase in revenue for both the trading and processing segments of the Group, the gross profit margin decreased by approximately 14.8 percentage points compared to the FY2021 and that has had an impact on the Group’s overall gross profit (GP), which decreased 58.8% to RM91.26 million. The overall GP was also affected by inventories written down of RM12.93 million compared with RM0.37 million for the FY2021 as certain inventories were measured at its estimated net realisable value.”

“The Group will continue to expand market reach leveraging on its diversified customer base comprising small-medium enterprises (SMEs) across various industries. We remain cautious on the outlook for 2023 despite the domestic economy’s growth momentum in 2022 as exports face headwinds while the operating landscape continues to be impacted by inflationary pressure and a weak ringgit, which also affect SMEs. We will continue to take the necessary proactive measures to enhance productivity and efficiency of our operations.”

Leon Fuat Berhad: [BURSA: LEFU] , https://www.leonfuat.com.my/

Leon Fuat Berhad Posts 35.8% Increase in Q2 Revenue to RM250.93 Million

Leon Fuat Berhad, a manufacturer and trader of steel products specialising in rolled long and flat steel, today reported a 35.8% increase in revenue to RM250.93 million for the second quarter ended 30 June 2022 (Q2FY2022) compared with RM184.78 million recorded in the corresponding quarter of the preceding financial year (Q2FY2021).

The Group recorded profit before tax (PBT) of RM18.04 million for Q2FY2022, a 57.6% decrease from RM42.57 million registered in Q2FY2021 while recording profit after tax (PAT) of RM14.02 million, which is a 56.3% decrease from RM32.12 million reported in the corresponding quarter of the preceding financial year.

For the quarter under review, the trading segment contributed 38.4% to revenue while the processing segment contributed 61.5%.

For the six months ended 30 June 2022 (1H 2022), Leon Fuat registered a 32.2% increase in revenue to RM523.95 million compared with RM396.26 million recorded in the six months ended 30 June 2021 (1H 2021). For the period under review, the Company reported PBT of RM49.85 million, a 41.4% decrease from RM85.10 million recorded in 1H 2021 while for 1H 2022, PAT decreased 44.4% to RM37.91 million compared with RM68.23 million recorded in 1H 2021.

Calvin Ooi Shang How, Executive Director of Leon Fuat said, “We saw higher overall revenue on the increased contributions from the trading and processing of steel products, but a combination of lower overall gross profit margin and inventories written down of RM13.88 million in the current quarter as certain inventories were measured at its estimated net realisable value weighed on PBT.”

“The outlook for the global economy remains volatile on a combination of China’s slowdown, the Russia-Ukraine war and tighter monetary policy in response to inflation. While the domestic economy has so far weathered the challenges on a combination of resilient exports and private consumption, uncertainties remain because of the potential risks from supply-chain disruptions and rising commodity prices leading to inflationary pressure.”

“We are more neutral as to the prospects for the remaining quarters of the year given these challenges especially with the softening of steel prices and the weaker ringgit. We have increased monitoring of steel prices and related currencies and continue to take proactive measures including negotiating forward contracts, where necessary, as well as prudent inventory management, to reduce any negative impact which may arise. The Group will strive to keep operating costs at manageable levels while enhancing operating capabilities and efficiencies to meet customer requirements and to ensure timely satisfaction of customer orders.”

Leon Fuat Berhad: [BURSA: LEFU] , https://www.leonfuat.com.my/

Leon Fuat Berhad Posts 29% Increase in Revenue to RM273 Million for Q1 FY2022

Leon Fuat Berhad, a manufacturer and trader of steel products, specialising in rolled long and flat steel products today released the Group’s financial results for the first quarter ended 31 March 2022 (Q1FY2022) registering a 29.1% increase in revenue to RM273.02 million compared with RM211.48 million recorded in the corresponding quarter of the preceding financial year (Q1FY2021).

For the quarter under review, profit before tax (PBT) stood at RM31.81 million, a 25.2% decrease from the PBT of RM42.53 million achieved in Q1FY2021 while profit after tax (“PAT”) stood at RM23.89 million, a 33.8% decrease from the PAT of RM36.11 million recorded in the same quarter of the preceding financial year.

The Group’s trading of steel products segment registered a 21.1% increase in revenue to RM90.00 million in Q1FY2022 compared with RM74.29 million recorded in the corresponding quarter of the preceding financial year while the processing of steel products segment registered a 33.4% rise in revenue to RM182.93 million compared with RM137.11 million achieved in Q1FY2021. The trading segment’s contribution to revenue stood at 33.0% in Q1FY2022 compared with 35.1% in the corresponding quarter of the preceding financial year while the processing segment’s contribution stood at 67.0% compared with 64.8% in Q1FY2021.

Calvin Ooi Shang How, Executive Director of Leon Fuat said, “We recorded higher revenue overall due to higher average selling prices for both trading and processing but this was partially negated by the 8.8 percentage points decrease in overall gross profit margin to 16.4% in the quarter under review compared with 25.2% gross profit margin in the corresponding quarter of the preceding financial year.”

“We continue to seek avenues to diversify as we have done through investing in welded steel pipe production in 2018. Phase 1 of the facilities with two production lines is operational while a further two production lines are being installed and expected to be operational in Q2FY2022. We have also begun Phase 2 of the facilities that we expect to be fully commissioned in the second-half of 2023 which will ultimately increase our production capacity.”

“Our outlook for 2022 remains unchanged as global growth is expected to slow significantly this year largely due to the conflict in Ukraine that has rippled across commodity markets, trade and to some extent financial interlinkages. Domestic economic growth has also been trimmed to between 5.3% and 6.3% in 2022 from the earlier forecast of between 5.5% and 6.5%.”

“Given that downside risks have risen significantly, we have increased monitoring of steel price movement and related foreign currencies and will take proactive measures including negotiating forward contracts, where necessary, as well as prudent inventory management, to reduce any negative impact which may arise. We will continue to enhance the operating capabilities and efficiencies in meeting customers’ requirements and to ensure timely satisfaction of customer orders while keeping our operating costs at a manageable level.”

Leon Fuat Berhad: https://www.leonfuat.com.my/
Leon Fuat Berhad: [BURSA: LEFU]

Leon Fuat Berhad’s Q4 Profit After Tax Jumps 61.8% to RM29 Million

Leon Fuat Berhad (“Leon Fuat” or the “Group”), a manufacturer and trader of steel products, specialising in rolled long and flat products today released the Group’s financial results for the fourth quarter ended 31 December 2021 (“Q4FY2021”) recording 61.8% growth in profit after tax (“PAT”) to RM29.09 million compared with RM17.98 million in the corresponding quarter of the preceding year (“Q4FY2020”).

The Group is pleased to note that for the quarter under review, revenue increased by 27.8% to RM254.21 million compared with RM198.96 million in Q4FY2020 while profit before tax (“PBT”) recorded a 106.5% increase to RM38.61 million compared with RM18.70 million.

On a segmental basis, revenue from trading of steel products registered a 26.5% increase to RM81.95 million while revenue from processing of steel products recorded a 28.4% rise to RM172.18 million. The trading segment’s contribution to revenue stood at 32.2% in Q4FY2021 compared with 32.6% in the corresponding quarter of FY2020 while the processing segment’s contribution stood at 67.7% compared with 67.4% in Q4FY2020.

For the financial year ended 31 December 2021 (“FY2021”), PAT grew 377.6% to RM135.98 million compared with RM28.47 million in the preceding financial year. PBT increased 418.1% to RM172.85 million compared with RM33.36 million while revenue gained 50.4% to RM886.58 million compared with RM589.58 million registered in FY2020.

Calvin Ooi Shang How, Executive Director of Leon Fuat said, “The Group’s financial performance for the quarter under review was supported by higher revenue and better gross profit margin from the rise in average selling prices in both the trading and processing of steel products. For the financial year as a whole, revenue was also supported by higher overall average selling prices that also resulting in better overall gross profit margin”.

“We are maintaining our cautious outlook for 2022 on downside risks arising from decelerating economic growth amid continued COVID-19 flareups across the world, diminishing policy support and lingering supply bottlenecks. While the Malaysian economy is expected to grow by 5.5% to 6.5% this year on continued external demand and private sector expenditure, we note concerns over new virus variants, inflation and financial stress that could weigh on economic recovery too”.

“We will continue to monitor the movement of steel prices as we anticipate commodity price volatility due to global factors. Our monitoring will also continue for foreign currencies while negotiating forward contracts where necessary and having prudent inventory management. The Group will continue to actively address COVID-19 concerns by adhering strictly to standard operating procedures and having in place emergency response teams in three of our major subsidiaries”.

Leon Fuat Berhad Posts 470% Rise in Quarterly PAT

Higher revenue from trading and processing together with higher gross profit margin support financial performance

Leon Fuat Berhad (Leon Fuat), a manufacturer and trader of steel products, specialising in rolled long and flat products, is pleased to announce today that the Group recorded a 470.4% gain in profit after tax (PAT) to RM38.66 million for the third quarter ended 30 September 2021 (Q3FY2021) compared with RM6.78 million in the corresponding quarter of the preceding year (Q3FY2020).

For the quarter under review, the Company registered a 44.1% increase in revenue to RM236.11 million compared with RM163.82 million in Q3FY2020 while profit before tax (PBT) recorded a 447.0% gain to RM49.14 million compared with RM8.98 million in Q3FY2020.

On a segmental basis, revenue from trading of steel products increased by 65.7% to RM94.81 million while revenue from the processing of steel products increased by 32.6% to RM141.22 million. The trading segment’s contribution to revenue stood at 40.2% in Q3FY2021 compared with 34.9% in Q3FY2020 while the processing segment’s contribution to revenue stood at 59.8% compared with 65.0% in Q3FY2020.

For the nine months ended 30 September 2021 (9M2021), PAT grew 918.5% to RM106.89 million compared with RM10.50 million registered in the corresponding period of the preceding financial year (9M2020). PBT increased by 815.2% to RM134.24 million compared with RM14.67 million recorded in 9M2020 while revenue rose 61.9% to RM632.37 million compared with RM390.61 million recorded in 9M2020.

Calvin Ooi Shang How, Executive Director of Leon Fuat said, “Generally, our business was not severely affected by the movement restrictions in 9M2021 while higher overall revenue together with higher gross profit margins supported our financial performance. However, we note that while there is potential rebound in domestic economic activities that will lead to recovery in the coming quarter, we will manage the continuing risks from supply disruptions persistently amid a resurgence in COVID-19 infections in certain economies.”

“We are taking proactive measures to ensure business continuity and sustainability given the volatile business landscape. These measures include keeping vigilant on steel price movements and related foreign currencies, taking proactive measures including negotiating forward contracts, where necessary, as well as prudent inventory management while continuously enhancing the operating capabilities and efficiencies to meet customers’ requirements and keeping our operating costs at a manageable level.”

About Leon Fuat
Leon Fuat Berhad (‘Leon Fuat’ or the ‘Group’) primarily in the business of trading, processing and/or manufacturing (collectively referred to as “processing”) of steel products, specialising in rolled long and flat products.

The Group’s trading activities consist of a wide portfolio of steel products, which includes flat products such as coils, plates, sheets, welded tubes, and pipes, welded rectangular and square sections, and long products such as bars, rods, shafts, sections, angles, channels and seamless tubes and pipes.

The Group’s processing business is synergistic to the trading operations. As part of the Group’s value-added activities, Leon Fuat undertakes processing activities in the form of cutting, leveling, shearing, profiling, bending, finishing and production of welded steel pipe and expanded metal.

As an established name, Leon Fuat has a strong portfolio of customers of more than 3,000 and have a long-standing relationship with customers.

For more information, please visit www.leonfuat.com.my.

Issued by: Swan Consultancy on behalf of Leon Fuat Berhad
Date: 29 November 2021

Please contact the below for more information:
Hakim Juraimi
Tel: +60 12-318 5410
Email: h.juraimi@swanconsultancy.biz

Kahjin Gan
Tel: +60 16-555 5187
Email: kj.gan@swanconsultancy.biz

Leon Fuat Berhad Powers Up for Green Energy

The Group is investing RM5.26 million to install solar panels for processing operations

Leon Fuat Berhad (Leon Fuat or the Group), primarily in the business of trading, processing and/or manufacturing (collectively referred to as processing) of steel products, specialising in rolled long and flat products, is pleased to announce that the Group is making its move towards having sustainable energy powering production operations through an investment in solar panels.

Mr, Ooi Seng Khong, Group Managing Director of Leon Fuat

A total of RM5.26 million is being invested for solar panels as part of the Group’s sustainability initiatives and these panels will be gradually installed in stages depending on the readiness of project sites.

Group Managing Director of Leon Fuat, Mr. Ooi Seng Khong said, “We see this move as a good investment for the environment in the long run to reducing CO2 emissions as we are using renewable solar energy and it will also lower the cost of energy consumption. This initiative will help us in our energy management initiatives and solar power is environmentally sustainable as well as effective.”

“We have been monitoring both electricity and fuel consumption as part of our sustainability initiatives since the financial year ended 31 December 2017 and are cognisant of the need to source for more sustainable sources of energy for our steel processing operations. The installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels will have a capacity of 2.1 million kWh per year, and we expect to save an estimate of 30% savings in electricity consumption per year when the solar panels are fully completed.”

For disclosure purposes, three of the Group’s subsidiaries involved in steel processing consumed a total of 4.9 million kWh of electricity in 2020, which is a 37.1% increase from 2019.

“We will continue to build organisational capacity to adapt to a sustainable future while focusing on the strategy to improve productivity through sustainable practices and bring value to our stakeholders,” Ooi said.

Leon Fuat Berhad Posts 1,110% Jump in Net Profit

Group records RM32.12 million in PAT supported by strong gross profit margin growth

LEON FUAT BERHAD (Leon Fuat or the Group), a manufacturer and trader of steel products, specialising in rolled long and flat products, today announced that the Group registered a 1,110.1% growth in profit after tax (PAT) to RM32.12 million for the quarter ended 30 June 2021 (2Q 2021) compared with the RM2.65 million recorded for the quarter ended 30 June 2020 (2Q 2020).

The strong gain in PAT was due to the 322.5% increase in gross profit (“GP”) to RM53.46 million in 2Q 2021 boosted by higher overall gross profit margin of 17.0 percentage points compared with the RM12.65 million in GP recorded for 2Q 2020.

The Group recorded 73.1% growth in revenue to RM184.78 million for the quarter under review compared with RM106.76 million recorded in 2Q 2020. On a segmental basis, revenue from trading of steel products increased 74.0% to RM73.88 million while revenue from processing of steel products increased by 72.7% to RM110.85 million. The share of revenue from the trading segment stood at approximately 40.0% for 2Q 2021 while the share of revenue from the processing segment stood at approximately 60.0%.

For the six months ended 30 June 2021 (“1H 2021”), PAT increased by 1,735.5% to RM68.23 million compared with the RM3.72 million recorded in the six months ended 30 June 2020 (“1H 2020”). For the period under review, PAT was supported by the 308.8% increase in GP to RM106.80 million compared with RM26.12 million recorded for GP in 1H 2020. The gain in GP for 1H 2021 was boosted by the 74.7% increase in revenue to RM396.26 million compared with the RM226.79 million recorded in revenue for 1H 2020 as well as better overall gross profit margin, which gained 15.5 percentage points to 27.0% in 1H 2021 compared to 11.5% in 1H 2020.

Calvin Ooi Shang How, Executive Director of Leon Fuat said, “We are pleased with the positive result, and we remain optimistic for the rest of the year although there are uncertainties affecting this outlook.”

The surge in steel prices globally since last year is supported by economic recovery and the gradual reopening of economies around the world. The expected rebound will unleash pent-up industrial demand which will hopefully maintain upward momentum for the steel sector.

“For Malaysia, we are seeing a gradual relaxation of containment measures alongside the rapid progress of the domestic vaccination programme would lead to rebound of the economy. We support the government measures to transition society back to normality soon and an emphasis on rejuvenating the economy.”

“We are committed to continue with the positive momentum, building on our strong fundamentals and the continued support from our investors.”

Please contact the below for more information:
Hakim Juraimi
Email: h.juraimi@swanconsultancy.biz

Leon Fuat Berhad Shareholders Pass Resolution to Acquire Factory for Rm28.0 Million

Retiring executive directors also re-elected to the board

Leon Fuat Berhad (Leon Fuat), a manufacturer and trader of steel products, specialising in rolled long and flat products, is pleased to announce today that all the resolutions of the Group’s 14th AGM and EGM for the financial year ended 31 December 2021 has been passed by shareholders at a virtual meeting.

Shareholders passed a resolution for Supreme Steelmakers Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group, to acquire a factory, warehouse and office on a parcel of freehold land in Kajang, Selangor for RM28.0 million from Leon Fuat Holdings Sdn Bhd, a privately-held company in which several directors and major shareholders have interests in.

Other resolutions passed included the re-elections of Mr. Ng Kok Teong and Mr. Ooi Shang How, who were both due for retirement, as executive directors of the Group’s board of directors. Shareholders also re-elected as well as retained Mr. Chan Kee Loin as an independent director while Dato Ng Ah Hock @ Ng Soon Por, Mr. Tan Did Heng and Mr. Tan Sack Sen were also retained as independent directors of the board.

Among the other resolutions up for voting, shareholders reappointed Baker Tilly Monteiro Heng PLT as the Group’s auditors and authorised the directors to fix the remuneration of the auditors.

Executive Director of Leon Fuat, Mr. Calvin Ooi said, “We are pleased that the 14th AGM and EGM went smoothly on the virtual platform. Shareholders were delighted with our performance for 2020 despite the challenges posed to the operating environment. We believe that the Group can sustain the business based on the satisfactory performance of the first quarter ended 31 March 2021.”

“However, we continue to be cautious given that COVID-19 infection rates remain high and cannot rule out a possible slowdown in activities from the industries that may lead to a drop in demand for steel products. We continue to take proactive measures such as negotiating forward contracts, prudent inventory management and cost-management to mitigate any negative impact while monitoring steel prices and related foreign currencies.”

Please contact below for more information:
Hakim Juraimi
Tel: +60 12-318 5410
Email: h.juraimi@swanconsultancy.biz