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Sunday, 26 February 2023

EKH to invest USD 170 mn in Egypt this year + reports record sales in 2022

We can expect big spending from EKH this year: Egypt Kuwait Holding will invest some USD 170 mn in the Egyptian market in 2023, the company said in a statement (pdf) on Thursday. More than half of the amount will be allocated to capital expenditure and the remainder will be used to increase the company’s holdings in its subsidiaries by buying out minority shareholders, it said. The spending will be 60-70% financed by the company’s cashflows, with the rest to come through bank loans, CEO Sherif El Zayat told Asharq Business.

EKH plans to spend some USD 79 mn to up its stake in subsidiaries, the company said, without disclosing the targeted companies. EKH holds a wide portfolio with a focus on fertilizers, petrochemicals, gas production and distribution, electricity, and nonbank financial services.

It’s already started: EKH upped its stake in Alexandria Fertilizers Company (AlexFert) to 61.6% from 60.4% in 1Q 2023, according to the company’s latest earnings release (pdf).

Capex spending: EKH plans to spend the remaining USD 91 mn to invest in existing projects:

  • USD 50 mn to drill two new gas wells in the offshore North Sinai concession field;
  • USD 30 mn for the company’s Nile Wood MDF factory, a joint venture with German fiberboard producer Homann Holzwerkstoffe. The factory’s products are expected to hit the market by 3Q 2023, according to EKH’s earnings release;
  • USD 11 mn to add 20 MW of electricity generation capacity.

REMEMBER- EKH is on an investment drive. The company in 2021 said it planned to invest USD 100 mn each year for five years starting in 2022, across at least six Egyptian verticals.

EARNINGS WATCH-

EKH had a bumper 2022: The company achieved record revenues of USD 1.1 bn in 2022, up by a third from 2021, its earnings release showed. Attributable net income rose 41% to USD 241.1 mn during the 12-month period.

Growth in 2022 was driven by higher global fertilizer prices, which began to normalize towards the end of the year. Revenues from the company’s fertilizer and petrochemicals segment rose 54% to USD 688.4 mn, almost doubling the segment’s net profit to USD 255.8 mn.

What they said: “Our operations have demonstrated a tremendous level of resilience, delivering record results despite the prevailing global and domestic challenges,” said Chairman Loay Jassim Al Kharafi.

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