Dangote Sugar reported a modest 7.1% y/y growth in Revenue to N161.1bn in FY 2019 from N150.4bn in FY 2018. Net Income also grew 1.8% y/y to N22.4bn for FY 2019. Q4 was a strong quarter as Revenue grew strongly q/q, up 17.8% to N43.7bn in Q4 2019 from N37.1bn in Q3 2019. Compared with Q4 2018, Revenue grew strongly, up 33.6% y/y. Net Income also grew strongly y/y, up 105.5% to N7.7bn for Q4 2019. Though Net Income declined 9.0% y/y and 16.8% q/q in Q1 2020, Revenue grew significantly, up 24.9% y/y and 9.9% q/q.
We raise our key forecasts higher over 2020e-2024e. Volumes have recovered following closure of the border in August 2019 while the company has been able to implement price increases since Q4 2019 in the absence of lower priced smuggled sugar. Despite expected headwinds such as, possible opening of the borders, expected stutter in demand following disruptions to industrial activities & ban on social gatherings and elevated cost pressures due to higher import duty on raw sugar, VAT increases and FX concerns, we expect recovery in industrial activities in Q3 and Q4 to sustain growth albeit at a slower pace.
Following upward revisions to our forecasts, we revise our target price higher to N17.65/s from N13.87/s previously. Our new target price implies 21.3% upside to Monday’s closing price of N14.55/s, making us upgrade our recommendation to a BUY from HOLD previously. Our valuation combines a mix of DCF analysis and relative valuation in the ratio 60:40 with the greater weighting on DCF valuation.
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