KUALA LUMPUR, 22 August 2017 – UEM Edgenta Berhad (“UEM Edgenta” or “Company”) declared interim dividend of 8.0 sen per ordinary shares on back of revenue of RM1.63 billion which it posted on for the six months ended 30 June 2017 (H1 2017).

The interim dividend of 8.0 sen per ordinary shares, which is for the financial year ending 31 December 2017 and with a total aggregate payment of RM66.5 million, will be paid to the shareholders of UEM Edgenta on 20 September 2017.

The healthy dividend declared follows a healthy Revenue and Profit Before Tax (PBT) posted for H1 2017 – RM1.63 billion versus RM1.35 billion in the corresponding period last year; and RM93.8 million compared to RM10.3 million for the same period in 2016, respectively.

The 8.0 sen per ordinary shares declared represents a payout ratio of 122 percent and exceeds the Company’s dividend payout of 7.0 sen paid in the Financial Year 2016 (FY2016). It also exceeds its Dividend Policy of distributing up to 70% of Profit After Tax and Non-Controlling Interest (PATANCI).

“The interim dividend declared showcases our promise in ensuring good returns to shareholders and we are committed to dividend payout as we have in the past,” said Dato’ Azmir Merican, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UEM Edgenta.

For the second quarter 2017 (Q2’17), UEM Edgenta recorded a revenue of RM858.9 million, an 11.7% increase or RM89.9 million versus preceding quarter of RM769.0 million. The contributing factor for this increase is higher contribution from its divisions.

UEM Edgenta’s Infra Services (“IS”) Division recorded a rise in revenue by RM70.4 million mainly due to the higher civil and pavement works carried out for the North-South Expressway; while Healthcare Services (“HS”) Division recorded higher revenue by RM9.9 million mainly due to higher variation orders at the public hospitals. Its Consultancy Division recorded an increase in revenue by RM6.0 million mainly from the Malaysian operations; while the Real Estate Services (“RES”) Division also recorded higher revenue by RM3.4 million mainly due to higher work progress for Menara Tun Hussein Onn project.

“We expect strong operational momentum to continue for the rest of 2017 as we embark on various operational initiatives to drive operational efficiency, such as implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to enhance our back-end support system, integration of processes of acquired businesses and effectively implement performance based contracting.

“In addition, the recently announced proposed divestment of our 61.2 percent equity stake in its New Zealand-based subsidiary, Opus International Consultants Limited (“OIC”) for RM504.1 million (this amount excludes the cash dividend of NZD0.07 per OIC share) will allow us to use the proceeds to, amongst others, pare down debts. It will also provide UEM Edgenta with the financial resources and enable management to focus on driving as well as supporting the organic growth and operational excellence initiatives in our core sectors spanning Healthcare, Infrastructure and Real Estate in key markets namely Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan,” added Dato’ Azmir.