Johannesburg - Property group Pinnacle Point Group [JSE:PNG] has
posted a 3.00 cent headline loss for the year ended February, from 3.86c a
year ago.
Revenue was up to R142.2m from R16.7m a year ago, mainly due
to the disposal of the Gardener Ross Golf and Country Estate properties. Losses
for the year were R239.1m from R306.1m a year earlier.
No dividend was declared.
Pinnacle said after an initial improvement in the property
market in the early stages of the financial year, growth had slowed and lower
interest rates were yet to positively affect the residential property market,
particularly the secondary home market.
The group develops leisure resorts and residential lifestyle
estates, whereby land is acquired, rezoned, developed and sold.
"The National Credit Act has led to the banks
tightening their lending criteria which likewise had a bigger impact on the
property market than initially expected. Property developers have to evaluate
building homes on vacant land as part of the development offering in order to
sell property that can be financed," the company said.
Pinnacle Point was also constrained by the lack of funding
and development capital which resulted in very low levels of activity.
"Property developers and property speculators across
the country are going into liquidation, placing further pressure on stock
pricing as liquidators and troubled home owners try to offload excess stock at
any price," it said.
Pinnacle said its board was of the view that it required
additional capital of about R250m for the replacement of certain existing
banking facilities to enable it meet its working capital requirements and allow the company to realise the potential of its property assets as a going
concern.
"The group is in discussions with its stakeholders and
lenders to restructure the existing debt and to recapitalise the group, or
alternatively apply for 'business rescue' which, if successfully concluded, may
have a material effect on the price of Pinnacle Point's securities," the
company said.