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Johannesburg - Mark-to-market losses have weighed on investment group PSG as it reports a headline earnings decrease of 78%.
PSG chairperson Jannie Mouton described operating conditions for the various businesses as "challenging", and emphasised the importance of liquidity and capital in these trying times.
Mouton was commenting after the release of the PSG Group's financial results for the year to end-February 2009.
Tough economic conditions and share write-downs on listed and unlisted investments haven't stopped the Stellenbosch-based investment group from looking around for acquisitions.
Earlier in 2009 subsidiary PSG Konsult announced it was buying the private client business of stockbrokerage T-Sec. Recently Zeder, the agricultural investment arm of the business, announced a rights-issue as it kept its eyes open for opportunities in the market.
The largest contribution to headline earnings was from low-cost banking operation Capitec Bank, in which PSG holds a 34.5% stake. Capitec increased its earnings by more than 40% to R302m.
PSG Konsult, the PSG Group stockbroking and financial services arm, achieved an 11% increase in its earnings to R96.8m
In an interview with Fin24.com, PSG Konsult CEO Willem Theron said the results were due to Konsult's diversified income base which comprises financial planning, stockbroking and an insurance offering.
Net asset value per share was 15.8% lower at 1 640c when compared with the previous year's figure.
Mouton said PSG's funding resources were strengthened by the sale of Channel Life to Sanlam, the imminent issue of four-year preference shares to the value of R200m and R43m through the placement of PSG ordinary shares.
Apart from the cash and facilities at the underlying group companies, PSG has more than R550m in cash and funding facilities.
PSG declared a final dividend of 38c which, together with the 200c/share special dividend declared at the interim stage, meant shareholders received total dividends of 257c over the past year.
Despite the tough economic conditions, Mouton has remained an active buyer of PSG shares, snapping up R2.1m since the start of the year. The shares were purchased at between 1 400c and 1 500c.
In late trade on Monday, PSG was unchanged at 1 550c per share while the all-share index was off 3.8%.
* Ashton holds shares in PSG, Zeder and Capitec.
- Fin24.com