On Mar 2, the Employees Provident Fund Board&rsquo s (EPF) deemed substantial shareholding in AEM Holdings : AWX +0.7% crossed above the 9.00 per cent threshold.

 

Previously, the EPF&rsquo s deemed substantial shareholding in AEM Holdings crossed above the 8.00 per cent threshold in October 2022, and above the 7.00 per cent threshold in July 2022, and above the 6.00 per cent threshold and 5.00 per cent substantial shareholder threshold in June 2022.

 

THE earnings of semiconductor equipment maker AEM fell 30 per cent to S$44 million for the second half ended December 2022, from S$62.4 million the year before.

 

H2 revenue dropped 12 per cent to S$330 million, from S$373.2 million previously.

 

Earnings per share (EPS) slipped to S$0.1423 for the six months ended Dec 31, 2022, from S$0.2078 for H2 FY2021.

 

Despite the slowdown in the second half, AEM&rsquo s full-year revenue climbed 54 per cent to a record high of S$870.5 million for FY2022, while earnings were 38 per cent higher at S$126.8 million.

 

However, the group warned that the weakness in H2 may continue into FY2023 due to &ldquo a confluence of factors such as a global slowdown&hellip (and) rising interest rates that adversely impact capital expenditure&rdquo .

 

In a bourse filing on Friday (Feb 24), the company said that its management &ldquo is providing a target revenue guidance for FY2023 of S$500 million that may be revised as second-half visibility becomes clearer&rdquo .

 

AEM Holdings has opened a new manufacturing plant in Penang. The new plant spans an area of 365,000 sq ft and will be used for assembly and quality assurance (QA). The new plant will also serve as a warehouse and a research and development (R& D) lab. In addition, it will be used for the development of advanced testing and handling equipment.

 

The opening comes after the group saw revenue more than double y-o-y to $746.6 million for the 9MFY2022, a record for the group.

 

In its statement, AEM noted that the new plant will help the group tap into the region&rsquo s growth opportunities and talents and bring its operations closer to existing and new customers.

 

According to the group, Penang, a hub in the semiconductor global supply chain, accounts for 80% of Malaysia&rsquo s contribution to the global backend semiconductor output. The state accounts for over 5% of the world&rsquo s semiconductor sales over the last few years.

 

The opening of the plant was officiated by Chow Kon Yeow, the chief minister of Penang Lim Bee Vian, the deputy CEO, Investment Development of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) AEM&rsquo s CEO Chandran Nair, as well as AEM&rsquo s non-executive chairman, Loke Wai San.

 

&ldquo Experiencing an upward trend in its exports, Penang contributed an average 29% of Malaysia&rsquo s export, and 58% of the nation&rsquo s trade surplus over the past five years,&rdquo says Chow in his congratulatory speech. &ldquo In terms of investments, Penang is among the top contributors to the country, garnering RM9.2 billion ($2.79 billion) in approved manufacturing investments from January to September 2022. Particularly, investments from the machinery and equipment industry amounted to a total of RM7.3 billion from 2020 to September 2022, represented 57% of the country&rsquo s total.&rdquo

 

He adds: &ldquo Riding on the prolific growth of advanced technologies, I am confident that Penang will be benefitting from the semiconductor industry&rsquo s long-term outlook. The state, via InvestPenang, is looking forward to working with AEM in accelerating the region&rsquo s vibrant electrical and electronics (E& E) ecosystem development, anchoring our status as the Silicon Valley of the East.&rdquo

 

&ldquo This project demonstrates not only AEM' s confidence in Malaysia' s long-term investment propositions but also the thriving state of the manufacturing industry and its ecosystem in Malaysia. The project is a parallel testament of the global investors' confidence in Malaysia as the preferred investment destination and the local companies' capability and readiness to support high-profile business ventures and activities,&rdquo says Lim.

 

&ldquo We&rsquo re pleased to announce the opening of our new plant in Penang. It allows us to scale up testing and handling capabilities to meet the growing demand for new semiconductor devices. We ensure our customers&rsquo success by continuing to grow our capabilities to deploy quickly at scale. Together with our centre of excellence in Singapore, I believe we will solidify our position as a hub in the region,&rdquo says AEM&rsquo s Nair.

 

MAYBANK on Monday (Jan 9) downgraded its &ldquo hold&rdquo call on semiconductor group AEM to &ldquo sell&rdquo , amid widespread cost-cutting measures within the industry as the Covid-19 boom fades.

 

Analysts cut the company&rsquo s earnings estimate by 5 per cent and lowered the pegged price-to-earnings ratio from nine times to 8.5 times. The brokerage&rsquo s price target for AEM was also reduced to S$3.08, from S$3.43.

 

Maybank expects the company&rsquo s order book to fall in 2023 compared with a robust H1 2022, though the decline could be partly mitigated by orders from new customers in the first half of this year.

 

Following news of Intel&rsquo s cost-cutting measures late last year, the analysts were also worried that the giant chipmaker would negotiate on margins with key suppliers if things deteriorate, thereby affecting AEM&rsquo s margins given that Intel is a key customer.

 

&ldquo We believe that the weak outlook from its key customer coupled with a looming recession in Europe and the US signals a lack of positive catalysts going forward and downside risk is evident,&rdquo said Maybank in its report.

 

The group&rsquo s short-term headwinds may thus present lower priced entry levels in the near term for investors, added the analysts, who remained confident in AEM&rsquo s long-term prospects.