Padini Holdings Berhad’s (PADINI) 1HFY24 core earnings of RM85.4mn (- 31.9% YoY) came in within ours and consensus estimates at 51% and 50%, respectively.
The group declared its second interim dividend of 2.5sen/share (1QFY24: 2.5sen/share), bringing its YTD dividend to 5.0sen/share (1HFY23: 5.0sen/share) aligned with 1HFY23.
QoQ, 2QFY24 core profit surged 109.2% to RM57.8mn in tandem with rise in revenue of 28.8% to RM500.1mn. The better performance in this quarter was attributed to the stronger sales during year-end and festive season (Christmas).
YoY, 2QFY24 core earnings dropped 26.2% YoY while revenue saw a marginal 1.8% decrease. The decline was mainly driven by a higher effective tax rate of 25.1%, up from 24.8% in 2QFY23 (+0.4pts YoY), due to higher non-deductible expenses incurred. 1HFY24 core profit lowered by 31.9% while its revenue remained flat at RM888mn. The weaker YoY performance was due to the higher expenses (staff cost) incurred in 1HFY24, leading to a decrease in GP margin of 2.1pts YoY to 37.2%.
Impact
We maintain our earnings forecast as this juncture, pending analyst briefing on 1 March.
Outlook
We expect the 2HFY24 to remain resilient due to Chinese New Year in February and Hari Raya in April, which will boost sales at all Padini’s outlets.
Meanwhile, we reckon the group to sustain its dividend pay-out ratio of c.34% for FY24 while maintaining its net cash position (Net cash stood at RM743.8mn in 2QFY24, representing QoQ improvement of 18.9%).
Valuation
Maintain Buy with a target price of RM 4.40/share based on 15x CY24 EPS.
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