Bangkok--21 May--SET
Thai listed firms’ post earnings of THB 212 bln in Q1/2012
- Q1 net profits of listed companies up 197 pct from the last quarter of 2011
- Sales up 18.27 pct q-o-q to THB 2.50 trillion (USD 80.68 billion)
- PTT, PTTEP, CPF, SCB and PTTGC are top five best profit makers
Companies listed on The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) report a combined net profit of THB 212.32 billion (approx. USD 6.84 billion) in January-March, up 197 percent from the previous quarter, but down 5.09 percent from a year earlier, with Resources, Financials, and Services being the top three highest profit making industry groups.
Aggregate earnings were compiled from 443 listed firms, or 93.26 percent of the total 475 companies on SET, during January and March. Of the firms, 301 companies, or 67.34 percent of the total, made net profits. In term of profitability, gross profit margins were down to 17.85 percent, from 20.42 percent a year earlier, and net profit margins decreased to 8.48 percent from 10.54 percent a year ago. However, gross profit margins were near at the same level of the fourth quarter of last year.
“Companies’ sales growth reflected the quick recovery of the country’s economy. All business sectors showed sales increases, especially industries relating to domestic consumption which are food and beverage, commercial banks, construction materials, and information and communication technology. The second quarter’s profitability is what we are looking at, because companies mostly faced higher selling costs, although their sales and costs were improving in the first quarter,” said SET President Charamporn Jotikasthira.
Total sales of the 447 companies rose 18.27 percent from the last quarter of 2011 to THB 2.50 trillion, and up 18.64 percent from a year earlier. The top five firms, in descending order of profits made, were PTT pcl (PTT), PTT Exploration and Production pcl (PTTEP), Charoen Pokphand Foods pcl (CPF), Siam Commercial Bank pcl (SCB), and PTT Global Chemical pcl (PTTGC).
By industry group, the top three higher profit makers in the first quarter are Resources, Financials and Services, in descending order. By sector, Energy & Utilities, Banking, and Food and Beverage were the three best profit makers in terms of absolute amounts.