Muhibbah Engineering: Fast-growing Cambodian airports provide solid recurring income

With a fast-growing airport concession business contributing more than half of its bottom line and 80% of its crane business still coming from overseas markets, Muhibbah is becoming less of a domestic infrastructure company.

9M18 results were in line with expectations. As at 28 November 2018, the total outstanding secured order book for construction and cranes division is RM1.8 billion.

Revenue grew 3.4% yoy, driven by all divisions. 9M18 EBITDA margin stood at 11.7% vs 9M17: 11.5. Overall 9M18 core net profit grew by 12.4%, boosted by the 67% yoy growth mainly from its Cambodian airport concessions.

The concession business continues to anchor Muhibbah’s profits and provide solid recurring income. Its pretax profits contributions rose to 61% from 9M17: 58% as traffic growth remains strong at Phnom Penh (+21.6%) and Sihanoukville (+73%) respectively.

In 3Q18, they handled 2.4 million passengers, +16.4% increase compared with the same period in 2017. The 4Q of the calendar year is typically a strong quarter due to the year-end festivities.

The division also benefitted from the stronger US$ vs. RM in 3Q18, which earns profits in US$. Cambodia Airport, the dedicated airport manager for Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville airports, has allocated $2 billion to develop the airport network by the end of its concession period in 2040. Part of this investment has been planned to renovate the airport runway to handle more traffic in future.

Thus far, the market has yet to fully appreciate its unique business model with varied construction expertise and strong recurring income. DBS research estimates its 21% stake in the Cambodia airport concession to be worth conservatively RM734m (DCF, WACC 10% and average passenger traffic growth of 5.9% p.a. until 2040), which is already about half of the stock’s market capitalisation.

Read full article: https://theasiancontrarian.com/2018/11/30/muhibbah-engineering-riding-on-cambodias-aviation-sector-growth/

Time to buy, chart looks bullish. Rm 0.48 is a reasonable price.

Time to buy 0.95

Positioning for Recovery: Muhibbah on the Edge of a Turnaround

Muhibbah Engineering (M) Bhd is a diversified engineering and infrastructure group.

Between 2019 and 2024, it transitioned into a more focused, vertically integrated solutions provider for the oil & gas and infrastructure sectors. Its core divisions—construction, cranes, concessions, automation, and shipbuilding—remained, but with sharper strategic focus.

Automation, initially an acquisition, became a formal growth pillar, while the crane segment, via Favelle Favco, expanded globally. The infrastructure arm deepened its specialization in platforms, petrochemical works, and heavy steel fabrication, supported by in-house yards. Concessions, especially Cambodia airports, remained relevant but faced regulatory headwinds.

Despite these shifts, performance was weak. Revenue grew at just 3.4% CAGR over six years, with a major loss in 2020 and lackluster ROEs through 2023. The pandemic severely disrupted operations and concession earnings, while recovery was hampered by low margins, underutilized assets, and inflation. ROE only turned meaningfully positive in 2024, reaching 7.7%, as earnings rebounded across concessions, marine, cranes, and automation.

As such you should not be surprised to see it being mapped onto the border of the Turnaround and Gem quadrants in the Fundamental Mapper.

Sustained improvement will depend on global macro stability, continued recovery in travel and infrastructure, and Muhibbah’s ability to execute well and navigate concession-related risks.