Market Snapshot

Singapore stocks opened hogher on Monday. STI rose 0.01%; Grand Venture rose 11%; OKP rose 6%; UOB rose 0.5%; DBS and OCBC rose 0.4%; Seatrium fell 1%; Singtel fell 0.5%.

Stocks in Focus

Grand Venture Technology: The semiconductor company on Sunday (June 1) said it had paused its proposed secondary listing on Malaysia’s Bursa exchange in view of confidential talks with a third party in relation to a possible transaction which could lead to an offer for its shares. While discussions are ongoing there is no certainty that any transaction will take place, it added. The counter ended Friday 2.4 per cent or S$0.02 higher at S$0.84, before the announcement.

Tung Lok Restaurants: The group posted a net profit of S$853,000 for its second half ended March, a 52.1 per cent decline from S$1.8 million in the year-ago period. For its full year, it sank into the red with a net loss of S$1.8 million, as compared to a S$2 million net profit previously. The losses came amid F&B industry woes as the group said it faced headwinds from a subdued economic outlook and softer consumer sentiment. The counter ended Friday unchanged S$0.085 before the announcement.  

DFI: The company said on Friday (May 30) it has divested 22.2 per cent, or about 315.3 million shares in Robinsons Retail for an undisclosed sum. DFI became a significant minority shareholder in Robinsons Retail in 2018 through a share-for-share swap transaction involving Rustan Supercenters, an operator of food retail formats and supermarkets in the Philippines. Shares of DFI closed at US$2.76, up US$0.08 or 3 per cent on Friday, before the announcement.

Olam: The agribusiness giant has secured a US$1.85 billion loan for general corporate purposes, said the company on Friday (May 30) via a bourse filing. The loan, which was taken by Olam Agri – the company’s food, feed and fibre operating group – has a three-year tenor and will be disbursed in two tranches. Shares of Olam closed 1.1 per cent, or S$0.01 higher at S$0.90 on Friday.

Stamford Land: The property company on Friday (May 30) reported a 14.2 per cent fall in net profit to S$17.6 million for its second half ended March, from S$20.6 million in the year-ago period. This came amid a 6.5 per cent decline in revenue, which came in at S$78.3 million as compared to S$83.8 million previously. Earnings per share stood at S$0.0119, down from S$0.0138. For the full year ended Mar 31, profit rose to S$32.8 million from S$5.9 million due to the absence of a fair value loss of S$81.5 million on investment property in the year ago period. The counter ended Friday flat at S$0.375 before the announcement.

Boustead: A joint venture of Boustead Projects’ wholly owned subsidiary was awarded a tender by JTC Corporation on Friday (May 30) to develop an industrial facility on a land parcel under the industrial government land sales programme. The land parcel – known as Tukang Innovation Drive Plot A – spans 18,687 square metres, with a proposed allowable gross floor area of 46,717.5 sq m. Shares of Boustead closed at S$1.11, down S$0.03 or 2.6 per cent on Friday, before the announcement.

Wee Hur: The property company has established a S$500 million multi-currency medium term note programme, it said via a bourse filing on Friday (May 30). The proceeds raised from notes issued under this programme will be used for the company’s general corporate purposes. Shares of Wee Hur closed flat at S$0.42 on Friday.

OKP: A unit of mainboard-listed infrastructure and civil engineering company OKP has won a contract worth S$258.3 million from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for the construction of new cycling path networks. OKP closed at S$0.725, up S$0.01 or 1.4 per cent on Friday, before the announcement.

SG Local News

Grab Makes Move to Enter Motor Insurance Market in Singapore

GrabInsure, the insurance arm of the Grab group, is gearing up to enter Singapore’s motor insurance market.

Some industry insiders said the move could deal a blow to the dominance of existing players like Income Insurance.

Grab joined the General Insurance Association (GIA) in May, after it obtained a general insurance licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in December 2024. The developments show that it is on track to launch its own motor insurance products.

The company began hiring staff for a motor insurance team in recent months.

Grand Venture Pauses Plans for Bursa Malaysia Listing Amid Share Offer Talks

Grand Venture Technology (GVT) has entered into confidential discussions with a third party over a potential deal that could involve an offer for the company’s shares.

The discussions are ongoing and may not necessarily lead to a transaction, the precision engineering firm said in a Singapore Exchange filing on June 1.

In the light of these developments, the company is putting its proposed secondary listing on Bursa Malaysia Securities on hold while it evaluates options with its advisers.

GVT provides precision manufacturing solutions for the semiconductor, analytical life sciences, electronics, aerospace and medical industries, with operations in Singapore, Malaysia and China.

Women Directors Make up over 25% of the Boards of Singapore’S Top 100 Listed Firms

More women are becoming directors and taking on leadership roles on the boards of companies and organisations in Singapore, said a report released on May 30.

The report by the Council for Board Diversity found that women’s share of directorships at the top 100 companies listed on the Singapore Exchange mainboard rose to 25.1 per cent in 2024, capping a multi-year uptrend.

This not only exceeds the target of 25 per cent set by the council for such companies, but was also achieved a year ahead of schedule.