By Augustine //
September 20, 2022
By Augustine //
September 20, 2022

Excerpts from CIMB Research report

OUE Commercial REIT (SGX:TSOU)

  • OUE Commercial Reit (OUECT)’s 1H22 DPU of 1.08 Scts came in below at 39.9% of our FY22F.
  • Strong recovery in the hospitality and retail portfolio, while healthier office occupancy and limited supply give OUECT the ability to drive rents.

Reiterate a Hold rating with a lower DDM-based TP of S$0.39.

OUE Commercial Reit 1HFY22 results highlights

OUECT’s 1HFY22 revenue/NPI of S$115.8m/S$93.6m were down 13.3%/14.2% yoy, below at 46.3%/47.2% of our FY22F estimate.

Lower revenue was due to S$5m in rental rebates at Lippo Plaza due to lockdowns in Shanghai in Apr-May 22 and deconsolidation of OUE Bayfront upon divestment of a 50% stake on 31 March 21 vs. one quarter of contribution in 1H21. 1H22 DPU of 1.08 Scts (-12.2% yoy) missed at 39.9% of our forecast.

Hospitality and retail segments nearing pre-COVID trading levels

RevPAR at Hilton Singapore Orchard (HOS) tripled qoq to S$302 as tourist numbers picked up, doubling portfolio RevPAR to S$226. Occupancy and average daily rates for HOS improved from c.60% and S$300/night to c.80% and S$500/night as at end-Jun 22.

Despite 2Q being a seasonally slow quarter, HOS’s RevPAR of S$302 surpassed Mandarin Hotel’s 4Q19 (seasonal high) RevPAR of S$226, validating the decision to rebrand the hotel.

However, due to manpower shortages, operational capacity is capped at 80%. Despite the remarkable ramp-up in operations since Mar 22, we think HOS will generate minimum rents for FY22 given the reduced room inventory for FY22.

Crowne Plaza Changi Airport’s RevPAR jumped 12.2% qoq to S$142 in 2Q22 after taking public bookings. Mandarin Gallery’s occupancy rose 1.6ppts qoq to 90.3% with shopper traffic and sales at c.90% and 85% of pre-COVID levels.

Healthier Singapore office occupancy shifts focus to driving rents

Singapore’s office portfolio occupancy ticked up from 90.9% to 92.9% as at end-1H22. Occupancy at OUE Bayfront dipped 3.1ppts qoq to 96.2% due to non-renewals.

Average passing rents at OUE Bayfront were S$12.55 psf/mth, the highest since its IPO, due to positive reversions in the past several months. However, reversions for the quarter came in at -3.7% (1Q22: +2.5%) due to above-market expiring rents of S$14.32 psf/mth (1Q22: S$12.93).

Signing of a large tenant at OUE Downtown pushed occupancy from 87.8% to 93.0%, while One Raffles Place (ORP) was stable qoq at 95.6%.

Lippo Plaza (LP) saw occupancy dip from 91.6% to 87.7% as a tenant opted not to renew its lease citing business uncertainties. 2Q22 reversions for OUE Downtown, ORP and LP came in at -0.9%, +4.0% and -1.7%, respectively.

Leasing activity was hindered by lockdowns in Shanghai in AprMay 22, although management has seen a pick-up in physical tours towards end-Jun.

Valuation/Recommendation

Maintain Hold, with a lower DDM-based TP of S$0.39 FY22-24F DPU estimates lowered by 6.9-9.8% on higher cost of borrowing assumptions and S$5m in rental relief provided for Lippo Plaza. We lower our DDM-based TP to S$0.39.

Potential upside/downside risks include faster/slower-than-expected recovery.

OUE Commercial Reit
OUE Commercial Reit share price

You can find the full report here and the company website here

About the author Augustine

Augustine is passionate about investing especially REITs and small cap stocks. He is also a Chinese Metaphysics enthusiast. He is a guest blogger at Small Caps Asia and also a freelance Metaphysics Consultant. He has given consults to many people around the world.

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