Three SOEs to hold March IPOs

Hanoi (VNA) - Three State-owned enterprises (SOEs) will make initial public offerings (IPOs) in March, floating 2.5 trillion VND (110 million USD) worth of stakes in the market in the second wave of SOEs IPOs in 2018.

This value is more modest compared to the total 26 trillion VND (1.15 billion USD) IPOs of five large SOEs in January and early February.

Vietnam Southern Food Corporation (Vinafood 2) is the biggest company and will make the first IPO on March 14. The corporation will auction 114.8 million shares, an equivalent to 23 percent of its charter capital of 5 trillion VND.

At the minimum bidding price of 10,100 VND per share, the State is expected to collect at least 1.16 trillion VND from this share sale.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will hold 51 percent of the company’s capital after the IPO and about 25 percent will be offered to strategic investors in a later move. Only 1 percent of the capital will be sold to employees.

Only T&T Group has so far filed documents to become Vinafood’s strategic investor, but the company operates mainly in real estate, finance, industry and import-export trading market segments.

Vinafood plays a key role in exporting Vietnamese rice. In the first half of 2017, the company earned 4.43 trillion VND in revenue but reported a loss of 118 billion VND.

The second-biggest company to hold an IPO is Binh Duong Manufacturing & Import Export Corp (Protrade Corp) with 30 million shares, or 10 percent of its charter capital of 3 trillion VND, on offer in its public share sale on March 28.

The starting price for auction will be 12,000 VND a share, bringing the State budget at least 360 billion VND if all shares are sold.

This is the third company from Binh Duong that has conducted an IPO in recent times. 

Petrol dealer Thanh Le General Import-Export Trading Corporation (Thalexim) and Investment and Industrial Development Corporation (Becamex IDC) made IPOs in the last quarter of 2017.

Only Thalexim sold all of its share offerings while Becamex IDC sold only 7.7 percent of its shares in two auctions.

Hanoi Trade Corporation (Hapro) is the last company to make an IPO on March 30 on the Hanoi Stock Exchange. The company will float nearly 76 million shares, or 34.51 percent of its charter capital at the minimum bidding price of 12,800 VND per share.

At this price, the company is valued at almost 2.82 trillion VND, higher than its charter capital of 2.2 trillion VND. The successful sale will bring the company at least 971 billion VND.

The State will not hold Hapro’s capital after the equitisation and about 65 percent of its stakes will be sold to strategic investors.

Hapro has over 40 member companies with presence in over 70 countries and territories. The IPO is expected to draw many investors as the company owns many commercial premises in prime locations in major cities and provinces.

In 2017, the company’s revenue declined 17 percent year-on-year to 1.93 trillion VND. Its profit was also modest at just 11 billion VND, equivalent to one-sixth of the 2016’s figure.

After three successful IPOs in January - of Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical, PV Power and PV Oil, the two latest IPOs of Vietnam Rubber Group and EVN Generation Corporation 3 have failed to attract investor attention. Thus, the outlook for the next three IPOs is uncertain in the context of the volatile stock market. - VNA