DEL Monte Pacific reported a net profit of US$21.85 million for the second quarter ended Oct 31, 2020, reversing from a loss of US$37.35 million a year ago.

 

The corresponding quarter last year saw its earnings impacted by one-off expenses.

 

Revenue rose nearly 12 per cent year-on-year to US$623.45 million, fuelled by higher sales in the US and the Philippines.

 

Earnings per share for the quarter worked out to 0.87 US cents, versus a loss per share of 2.18 US cents a year ago.

 

For H1 FY2021, it clocked a net profit of US$18.6 million, versus a net loss of US$75.62 million previously, while revenue grew nearly 11 per cent to US$1.04 billion.

 

The group expects to return to profitability in FY2021, barring unforeseen circumstances, it said.

MAINBOARD-LISTED food and beverage company Del Monte Pacific said its Philippines subsidiary has raised 6.47 billion pesos (S$182.3 million) from the maiden issuance of fixed-rate bonds in a bid to lower borrowing costs while lengthening debt maturity profile.

 

The bond offering, which consists of three-year bonds with an interest rate of 3.484 per cent and five-year bonds with an interest rate of 3.7563 per cent, was 1.29 times oversubscribed.

 

The unit, Del Monte Philippines Inc (DMPI), plans to list the bonds in the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corporation on Oct 30.

 

The offering was " well-received" by a good mix of retail and institutional investors that include insurance companies, retirement funds and asset management groups, said Del Monte Pacific.

 

Proceeds from the issuance will be used to refinance and term out existing short-term loans, as well as convert them into long-term liabilities.

 

BDO Capital and Investment Corp, China Bank Capital Corp, First Metro Investment Cor and RCBC Capital Corp were the joint issue managers, joint lead underwriters and joint bookrunners for the maiden bond issuance.

 

Exchange Equity Partners acted as its financial adviser.

 

In January, Del Monte Pacific entered an agreement for the proposed sale of a 13 per cent stake in DMPI for US$130 million with Singapore-incorporated SEA Diner Holdings Pte Ltd.

MAINBOARD-LISTED food producer Del Monte Pacific saw sales spike in the first quarter, driven by higher demand amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Revenue rose to US$413.1 million, up by 9.9 per cent year on year, on higher sales in the United States and the Philippines, figures from its unaudited results indicated on Wednesday.

 

The company' s net loss narrowed to US$3.25 million for the three months to July 31 from US$38.3 million in the year before, when Del Monte clocked heavy one-off expenses related to withholding taxes.

 

Operating profit was US$20.7 million, up by 1.9 per cent from US$20.3 million before.

 

" Given the seasonality of the business, the first quarter is historically the lowest quarter of the group," Del Monte noted in its financial statements.

 

It expects to return to profitability in FY2021, barring unforeseen circumstances, it said, adding that it has been exploring e-commerce opportunities.

 

" The strategy is to strengthen the group' s core business and expand its product portfolio in line with market trends for health and wellness, and grow its branded business, while reducing non-strategic business segments," the group added in a statement.

 

In the core US market, which makes up close to two-thirds of group sales, Del Monte attributed higher sales to " improved volume across almost all categories from the pandemic, partly offset by supply challenges on core vegetables and fruits" as the Covid-19 pandemic prompted a shift in interest to healthy, shelf-stable products.

 

Otherwise, sales in the rest of the world rose on better performance in the Philippines, the S& W branded business, and exports of packaged pineapple products, although the growth was offset in part by lower sales of fresh pineapples in China.

 

Loss per share stood at 0.42 US cent, against 2.22 US cents previously, while net asset value more than doubled to 24.9 US cents, from 10.86 US cents as at April 30.