FYI - Elsoft hit a high of RM2 before retracing and close at RM 1.90. I called out this counter several weeks ago when it was around RM1.75. If market remain sideways or marginally positive, there is no problem breaching RM2. Just to inform I have taken partial profit at RM 1.98. The balance profit I will ride along the momentum.
· Elsoft Research (ELSR MK, RM1.68, NR, Mkt Cap: RM304mn) – Huge potentials ahead for this low profile, but high quality small cap… Melissa and I made a trip to Penang sometime last month (we are organising a conference there in July – details at bottom of email), and met with a couple of Penang-based companies. One that really caught my attention was ELSR, which is a leading Automated Test Equipment (ATE) supplier in the industry. Key takeaways from the meeting with Mr C.E. Tan (Group CEO) are as below –
Ø Core biz still doing well. ELSR’s bread-and-butter is research, design and development of test & burn-in systems. Its key customers are manufacturers of optoelectronic devices (e.g. LED, image sensors, automotive lightings), and ELSR helps test their products before launching into the market. Mgt expects higher contributions from the Auto segment due to the adoption of Day Running Light (DRL). At the same time, contribution from the Smartphone sector will be lower in comparison, as there are fewer new smart devices requiring test equipment with new functions. In 2Q15, the group had secured orders for 30 units of LED test equipment with a market value of RM15mn – of the 30, 20 are for automotive sector.
Ø Medical devices a new growth driver. ELSR’s other biz, Embedded Peripherals, has >10 years of experience designing, developing and integrating embedded systems (ES). Mr Tan expects ELSR to launch ES for controlling medical devices in 2H15, which should positively impact results in late-2015 or in 2016. Conversations with Mr Tan reveals that this ES is used in machines for peritoneal dialysis (PD), which is going through final stages of regulation certification, and approvals could come as soon as end-Jun’15 (although some delays could be expected).
Ø Medical devices a new growth driver. ELSR’s other biz, Embedded Peripherals, has >10 years of experience designing, developing and integrating embedded systems (ES). Mr Tan expects ELSR to launch ES for controlling medical devices in 2H15, which should positively impact results in late-2015 or in 2016. Conversations with Mr Tan reveals that this ES is used in machines for peritoneal dialysis (PD), which is going through final stages of regulation certification, and approvals could come as soon as end-Jun’15 (although some delays could be expected).
Ø Significant potentials ahead. Medical division (all ES) already contributed to 3% of FY14 revenue – I understand from mgt that this was on the back of some 200 units of ES (incl. sensors etc) produced for its customer (ELSR as sole supplier). News reports suggest that there were some 30k people on kidney dialysis in M’sia in 2014, and the number is increasing at 5-6k pa. Admittedly, it is still early days to anticipate market acceptance for PD, but assuming a 10% penetration rate to all dialysis patients, alongside a backward calculation of potential rev per unit (with some discount for bulk production), ES could potentially contribute, over time, an additional RM17.5mn in revenue (c.40% of FY14 revenue) on my estimates.
Ø Strong margins & profitability, zero debt. Except the tough FY09 in face of global economic recession, ELSR’s GP margins have ranged between 37-48%, while net margins has been hovering around 39-45%. ROE has also been on an uptrend – it achieved 30% ROE in latest 1Q15 results, vs 10% recorded in 1Q12. ELSR does not have any debt on its balance sheet. It had RM14mn in cash as of end-Mar’15 (4.6% of mkt cap). It also does not require any more significant investments for the ES for PD machines.
Ø Pioneer status helps via lower tax rates. ELSR has in the past 2 years paid 4-5% PBT in taxes. It pays below statutory tax rate, due to a 100% tax exemption from Pioneer Status of Section 4D, Promotion of Investment Act, 1986. This pioneer status will last for 10 years, up to 2024. Also worth noting on the investment/efficiency front – ELSR is a very lean company with only 62 headcount. Productivity measures by revenue/profit per employee improved significantly over the past 3 years.
Ø Growth prospect / guidance. ELSR’s revenue/NP grew at a 4y CAGR of +41%/+51%. Due to a good 2Q14, mgt is expecting a profit contraction in 2Q15. Orderbook however remains strong at RM18mn. To put numbers into perspective, ELSR generated RM45mn in revenue over FY14. Mgt expects FY15E numbers to be flattish y-y without add’l contribution from medical division. But as highlighted above, I believe there is meaningful potential upside once approvals for the PD machines are obtained.
Ø Associate companies to help growth. ELSR also owns 2 associate co’s: (1) 30% in Lesoshoppe.com – a B2B trade portal for Test and Measurement Instrument, which is exploring listing for ASEAN/Asian market expansion to unlock investment value; and (2) 21% in Butterfly House (Pg) S/B – operator of the Penang Butterfly Farm, which is currently undergoing a major expansion exercise and should contribute positively next year. Mgt expects associate co’s to generate >10% of ELSR’s bottom line.
Ø Performance & valuations. ELSR got its breakthrough in mid-2014, and share price has stayed around RM1.50 levels since then. It has gained +22.6% YTD, outperforming KLCI (-2.2%) and FBM Small Caps (+4.3%), but below the KL Tech Index (+30.7%). It is currently trading at 13x trailing FY14 P/E. Similar companies in M’sia like Vitrox (NR) and VSI (NR) are trading at 11-14x fwd P/E (BBG). Another comparable, Advantest Corp (6857 JP, OP) trades at 19x fwd P/E. ELSR has a div policy of >40%
Cheers to ELSOFT ! 11 Malaysian companies made it into Forbes Asia's " BEST UNDER A BILLION " 2015 list - which honours 200 leading public companies in the Asia Pacific region with an annual revenue between USD 5 mil ( RM 18.8 mil ) and USD ! billion . The 11 companies ( down from last year 14 companies ) are : Dayang Enterprise , ELSOFT RESEARCH BHD , GD express , Inari Amerton , MyEG , OSK Property , Scientex Bhd , SEAL Inc , Tambun Indah , UEM Edgenta ( Faber ) and VICTROX Corp . Kudos to CEO Tan and your dedicated team !
From a total of 17000 companies worldwide selected , all candidates are screened on sales growth and earnings growth in the past 12 months and over 3years and again the strongest 5 years ROE ( return on equity ) That's how the process for Forbes Asia's " BEST UNDER A BILLION " competition derived at .
This book is the result of the author's many years of experience and observation throughout his 26 years in the stockbroking industry. It was written for general public to learn to invest based on facts and not on fantasies or hearsay....
Unbeatable Nick
512 posts
Posted by Unbeatable Nick > 2015-05-29 20:42 | Report Abuse
good effort to climb up slowly