BCA sees construction demand of S$39b to S$46b a year from 2026 to 2029 Huationg CEO Patrick Ng buys 650,800 shares at average S$0.162 a share

Shares of some construction companies surged last week on various announcements and a projected bright outlook.

 

Hock Lian Seng was up 12.9 per cent for the week, and Pan-United gained 11.6 per cent. Ley Choon Group rose 8 per cent in the same period, Huationg Global was up 7 per cent, and BRC Asia jumped 7.4 per cent.

 

Ley Choon on Jan 15 announced that four of its subsidiaries bagged a total of S$131.5 million for the supply and installation of underground utilities services, as well as road reinstatement works.

 

These projects are expected to be completed within 24 to 36 months, according to Ley Choon, and are not expected to have any material impact on the group&rsquo s earnings per share and net tangible assets per share for the financial year ending March.

 

Huationg&rsquo s chief executive officer and executive director Patrick Ng acquired 650,800 shares at an average price of S$0.162 a share. That increased his direct interest from about 7.9 per cent to around 8.3 per cent, bringing his total interest in the Catalist-listed company to 76.96 per cent.

 

Outlook for construction

A Building and Construction Authority (BCA) report released last week, which projected that medium-term construction demand is expected to remain strong in 2025, lent a further boost to the shares.

 

The value of construction contracts is expected to range between S$47 billion and S$53 billion in nominal terms in 2025, according to BCA.

 

Normalised to real values, 2025&rsquo s demand is expected to range between S$35 billion and S$39 billion. That is between 0.3 and 11.7 per cent higher than pre-Covid levels in 2019, according to the authority.

 

Based on the contracts awarded in the past few years and the construction demand forecast for 2025, total nominal construction output is projected to increase to between S$39 billion and S$42 billion in 2025 &ndash up from the preliminary estimate of about S$38.4 billion in 2024, it said.

 

&ldquo The anticipated uptrend is expected to be supported by the increase in actual construction demand over the last few years and the expected increase in 2025 construction demand,&rdquo it added.

 

Over the medium term, demand is expected to be robust as well. BCA expects the total construction demand to reach an average of between S$39 billion and S$46 billion a year from 2026 to 2029.

 

It said the strong demand is underpinned by the expected award of contracts for several large-scale developments, such as Changi Airport Terminal 5 and the expansion of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort, alongside public housing development and upgrading works.

Between Jan 20 and 22, Huationg Global : 41B 0% CEO and executive director Patrick Ng acquired 650,800 shares at an average price of S$0.162 a share. This increased his direct interest from to 7.89 per cent to 8.26 per cent.

 

Ng also has a 68.7 per cent deemed interest in Huationg Global by virtue of his 25 per cent shareholding interest in Dandelion Capital, which is the immediate and ultimate holding company of Huationg. The acquisition brings his total interest in the Catalist-listed company to 76.96 per cent.

 

Huationg Global provides civil engineering services, inland logistics support and sells construction materials, including liquefied soil stabiliser and recycled concrete aggregate.

 

Ng&rsquo s previous acquisitions were in July 2024, with 255,000 shares acquired at S$0.129 a share, and April 2024, with 12.5 million shares acquired in a married deal at S$0.142 a share. This means his total interest in Huationg Global has grown by 7.6 per cent over the past 10 months.

 

With more than 20 years of experience in the civil engineering construction industry, Ng has been responsible for the overall management, operations, strategic planning and business expansion of Huationg Global since 2000.

 

Over the past 30 years, the group has worked on major infrastructure projects in Singapore, such as the Downtown Line, Circle Line, Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway and Marina Coastal Expressway, and has built a strong reputation in civil engineering.

 

In August, Huationg Global leveraged its civil works expertise to secure public infrastructure projects and sustain a robust order book for continued growth. Despite rising construction material costs, the group&rsquo s order book was approximately S$500 million as of the release of its H1 FY2024 results, with projects slated for completion within four years.

 

Additionally, the group anticipates that increased construction activities will enhance its inland logistics business, generating recurring income. Huationg Global is expected to report its FY2024 results by Mar 1.

Thirteen primary-listed companies conduct buybacks with total consideration of S$25 million in five sessions from Jan 17 to Jan 23

 

Over the five trading sessions from Jan 17 to Jan 23, institutions were net sellers of Singapore stocks, leading to net institutional outflow of S$393 million, adding to the S$184 million net outflow over the preceding five sessions.

 

Institutional flows

Stocks that led the net institutional outflow over the five sessions were DBS : D05 -0.68%, CapitaLand Investment : 9CI 0%, OCBC : O39 -0.12%, CapitaLand Ascendas Reit : A17U 0%, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding : BS6 -0.33%, Sats : S58 -2.27%, Keppel : BN4 +1.64%, Mapletree Industrial Trust : ME8U -0.45%, CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust : C38U +0.52% and Singtel : Z74 +2.89%.

 

Meanwhile, UOB : U11 -0.27%, Seatrium : 5E2 +1.8%, Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust : T82U 0%, Parkway Life Reit : C2PU +1.29%, Singapore Technologies Engineering : S63 +0.63%, Golden Agri-Resources : E5H +2%, Top Glove Corporation : BVA +1.35%, Jardine Matheson Holdings : J36 -1.49%, Wee Hur Holdings : E3B +1.05% and Sembcorp Industries : U96 -0.54% led the net institutional inflow.

 

Consequently, over the five sessions, financial services and Reits again experienced the highest net institutional outflow, while healthcare and utilities saw the most net institutional inflow.

 

As at Jan 23, Top Glove recorded the eight-highest net institutional inflow in the Singapore stock market for the month. The group had a bump up in trading turnover this year, with the stock hitting S$2.4 million in average daily trading turnover for the first 16 sessions of the year, doubling the S$1.2 million in 2024 and 2023.

 

This has also enhanced a key liquidity metric of the dual listing in Singapore, with the average bid-ask spread over the past five sessions being 30 per cent tighter than it was six months ago.

 

Top Glove reported on Dec 20 sales revenue of RM886 million (S$272.1 million) for Q1 FY2025 (ended Nov 30), marking growth of 80 per cent compared to the same period last year, with sales volume surging by 104 per cent. The group noted the rebound was driven by robust order inflows, ongoing quality enhancement and cost optimisation initiatives, and the strengthening of the US dollar against the ringgit.

 

Top Glove said it would continue to diversify risks across its operations in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam integrate sustainable practices and leverage quality and cost efficiency initiatives to sustain its upward momentum and deliver stronger results in the coming quarters.

 

Share buybacks

Thirteen primary-listed companies conducted buybacks with a total consideration of S$25 million in the five sessions. The consideration tally was led by OCBC, which bought back 1.4 million shares, at a marginally higher average price of S$17.13 a share. This brings the total shares repurchased under the current mandate to 0.33 per cent of its issued shares (excluding treasury shares).

 

Zheneng Jinjiang Environment Holding Company : BWM 0% bought back 745,200 shares at an average price of S$0.45 a share. In doing so, the China waste-to-energy operator increased the total shares repurchased under its current mandate to 0.74 per cent of its issued shares (excluding treasury shares).

 

Director transactions

More than 40 director interests and substantial shareholdings were filed for 30 primary-listed stocks in the five trading sessions. Directors or chief executive officers filed 10 acquisitions and one disposal, while substantial shareholders filed two acquisitions and three disposals.