AsiaNet-Pakistan Premier Editorial Content and Press Release Distribution Service
Karachi: With no short term trigger, the stock of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTC) has lost more than 25.3% since the start of FY12, underperforming the Benchmark KSE-100 Index by 13.8%.
According to Arif Habib Limited, this was mainly on account of shrinking fixed line operations, price competition and rising operating cost which resulted in a 20% YoY decline in the company’s bottom line during FY11.
On standalone basis the company registered a decline of 20% in its net earnings in FY11. The company posted an earnings of PRK 7,428mn (EPS: PKR 1.46) as compared to PKR 9,267mn (EPS: PKR 1.82) in FY10. This drop in earnings is mainly due to declining revenues from fixed line operations by 4.4% and increase in salaries pushing the cost of service up by 9% YoY and 4% YoY rise in admin and selling expenses during FY11.
A 53% YoY higher other income has supported the bottom line However other income supported the bottom line as it reached to PKR 7,839mn in FY11, an increase of 53% YoY. This is primarily due to the dividend received from its subsidiary (Ufone) and interest earned on the loan provided to Ufone. PTC had issued a loan of PKR 11bn to Ufone for capital expenditure at a markup of 3M KIBOR plus 82 to 180 basis points.
| Financial Highlights (PKRmn) | 4QFY11 | 3QFY11 | % Chg. | FY11A | FY10A | % Chg. |
| Revenue | 14,230 | 13,326 | 7% | 55,254 | 57,148 | -3% |
| Cost of Services | 11,254 | 10,486 | 7% | 41,815 | 38,361 | 9% |
| Gross Profit | 2,976 | 2,840 | 5% | 13,439 | 18,786 | -28% |
| Admin & General Expenses | 2,240 | 1,837 | 22% | 7,376 | 7,121 | 4% |
| Selling & Marketing Expenses | 577 | 500 | 15% | 2,281 | 2,142 | 6% |
| Other Income | 3,650 | 1,002 | 264% | 7,840 | 5,135 | 53% |
| Operating Profit | 3,809 | 1,505 | 153% | 11,621 | 14,657 | -21% |
| Finance Cost | 35 | 46 | -25% | 208 | 403 | -49% |
| Profit Before Tax | 3,774 | 1,458 | 159% | 11,414 | 14,254 | -20% |
| Taxation | 1,318 | 509 | 159% | 3,986 | 4,987 | -20% |
| Profit After Tax | 2,456 | 949 | 159% | 7,428 | 9,267 | -20% |
| EPS (PKR) | 0.48 | 0.19 | 159% | 1.46 | 1.82 | -20% |
Source: Company Financials & AHL Research
Ufone and Broadband segment will continue to fuel growth
Going forward, shrinkage in fixed line & wireless local loop (WLL) operations and high operating expenditures pose major downside to PTC’s margins. Respite, however is expected to come from Ufone and broadband revenues, which are expected to grow by 9% and 8%, respectively. Going forward, Arif Habib Limited expects Ufone to hold its market share of 19% and will continue to contribute significantly (49% from 47% in FY11) in PTC’s topline. Further the company will continue to improve its broadband services by introducing new high speed broadband packages to attract new subscribers. Moreover resolution of property issue with GoP and establishment of international clearing house for curbing grey traffic will act as key triggers.