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HC: We expect Juhayna to preserve its market share and margins

Juhayna Food Industries

  • We expect relative inflation easing to improve consumer demand and estimate JUFO’s volume to grow at a 2025–29e CAGR of c5%
  • Capitalizing on its leading dairy local market share, we expect JUFO to preserve its market share, margins, and increase exports. We estimate its 2025-29e EBITDA and EPS to grow at c19% and c24%, respectivel
  • In a recent report, HC Brokerage resumed their coverage of Juhayna Food Industries forecasting JUFO to preserve its market share and margins.

Pakinam El-Etriby, Consumers Analyst at HC commented that: “ JUFO navigating a challenging 2021–24 operating environment: In 2021, JUFO experienced a c3 pp y-o-y decline in gross profit margin (GPM) to c29% from a previous three-year average of c31%, impacted by the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, disrupting supply chains and energy and commodity prices. As economies began to reopen in 2021, the supply bottlenecks led to further inflationary pressures. In February 2022, the Russian-Ukrainian war worsened the situation, causing additional global supply chain disruptions, leading to higher commodities prices, with crude oil prices surging c40% y-o-y in 2022 after a c64% y-o-y increase in 2021, corn prices rising c19% in 2022 and c60% y-o-y in 2021, soybean prices increasing c13% y-o-y in 2022 and c44% y-o-y in 2021, sugar prices increasing by c5% y-o-y in 2022 and c39% y-o-y in 2021, and skimmed milk powdered (SMP) increasing c15% in 2022 and c23% y-o-y in 2021.  In 2023, while commodity prices began to normalize – with oil prices dropping by c17% y-o-y, corn c19%, soybean c9%, and SMP c31% – JUFO’s 2023 GPM remained below c30% due to the several EGP devaluation rounds in October 2022 of c19% and January 2023 of c18%, as JUFO imports more than c30% of its COGS, mainly packaging and SMP, and to a lesser extent concentrates. Nevertheless, in 1H24, JUFO’s GPM improved by c10 pp y-o-y to c35%, helped by the March 2024 economic reforms and the Ras El Hekma investment deal, allowing it to source its USD needs from banks at the official rate, c4% y-o-y lower SMP price, and higher exports margin from concentrates. JUFO’s concentrates revenue (c15% of 1H24 total revenue, up from c9% in 1H23) benefited from the global supply shortage of oranges (expected to last for three years) due to climate change and the March 2024 EGP devaluation, increasing its competitiveness and export margins.

“We forecast JUFO’s revenues to grow at a 2025–29e CAGR of c19% on higher volumes and prices: We expect a relative moderation in inflation in 2025 to a yearly average of c23% from c30% in 2024 to help consumer demand recover. We project JUFO’s volumes to grow at a CAGR of c5% and average selling prices at c13% over 2025–29e. In 2024e, we expect revenues to grow by c48% y-o-y to EGP23.9bn, largely due to a threefold y-o-y increase in concentrate exports to EGP3.24bn (c14% of total sales from c6% in 2023), partially hedging JUFO’s FX needs. In 2025e, we expect revenues to rise by c26% y-o-y to EGP30.0bn, mainly driven by a c25% y-o-y increase in blended selling prices to EGP61.7/liter and a c31% y-o-y increase in concentrates revenue to EGP4.70bn. Starting 2026e, we expect interest rate cuts, declining inflation, and salary adjustments to accelerate consumer demand recovery and drive revenue growth, leading us to estimate a 2025-29e revenue CAGR of c19%.” Pakinan added.
“We estimate JUFO’s EBITDA and EPS to grow at a 2025–29e CAGR of c19% and c24%, respectively, on healthy revenue growth and higher export rebates despite higher net interest expense: In the absence of any external shocks, we generally expect the company to pass additional costs onto consumers to preserve its margins. We expect JUFO’s GPM to expand to 32.5% in 2024e from 26.2% in 2023, despite higher transportation costs in 4Q24 due to the c17% increase in diesel price on 18 October. However, in 2025e, we project a slight c1 pp y-o-y decline to 31.4% and to increase slightly to c32% in 2026e. In 2024e, we forecast EBIT margin to expand by c7 pp y-o-y to 19.8% on the GPM expansion and c4x y-o-y higher export rebates to EGP392m, and project EBIT margin to average c19% over our 2025–29e forecast period, with export rebates growing at a 2025–29e CAGR of c17%. Accordingly, we estimate JUFO’s EBITDA to grow at a 2025–29e CAGR of c19%. Despite expected higher net interest expenses in 2024e and 2025e due to JUFO’s higher EGP-denominated debt – reporting a net debt of EGP2.14bn as of June 2024, up from EGP1.21bn as of 30 March 2024 and EGP150m as of December 2023 – we expect net profit margin (NPM) to expand by c5 pp y-o-y to 11.3% in 2024e, and 12.2% in 2025e. However, starting 2026e, we forecast a gradual increase in NPM to 14.0% by 2029e, driven by easing interest rates. We estimate JUFO’s EPS to grow at a 2025–29e CAGR of c24%.” Consumers Analyst concluded.  

About HC Brokerage

HC Brokerage is an affiliate of HC Securities & Investment– a full-fledged investment bank providing investment banking, asset management, securities brokerage, research, and custody services. HC Brokerage is an Egyptian registered company and member of Egypt’s Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA), and its registered address is 34 Gezirat Al-Arab St., Mohandessin, Giza, Egypt, Dokki 12311

 

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HC:  We believe that the MPC will opt to delay the cut until later in 2024

  • In light of Egypt’s macro economy developments and the geopolitical tensions, HC Securities & Investment expects the MPC to keep the interest rates unchanged in its upcoming meeting scheduled October 17, 2024

Head of Equity Research at HC, Nemat Choucri commented: “Egypt’s external position showed signs of improvement with (1) the 4Q23/24 balance of payments (BoP) surplus widening by c9x y-o-y and c22% q-o-q to USD5.55bn, (2) the banking sector remaining in a net foreign assets (NFA) position of USD9.73bn in August, however narrower by USD3.54bn m-o-m, and reversing a net foreign liability (NFL) position of USD25.9bn a year earlier, (3) net international reserves (NIR) increasing by USD140m m-o-m in September to USD46.737bn from USD46.597bn in August, and (4) Egypt’s 1-year CDS dropping to 407 currently, from 857 bps on 1 January. However, Egypt’s business activity remains subdued due to the high interest rate environment impacting private sector investments. Egypt’s September PMI index dropped below the 50.0 mark to 48.8 after it surpassed it in August, signaling a renewed decline in business conditions across the Egyptian non-oil private sector, as rising price pressures dampened sales and slowed business activity and 4Q23/24 GDP reached 2.4%, translating into a GDP growth of 2.4% for FY23/24, down from 3.8% a year earlier, also impacted by geopolitical tensions. To overcome this, the government plans to announce investment incentives and a tax relief package to encourage private local and foreign investments to drive GDP growth. Regarding inflation, we expect the headline inflation to accelerate by 1.0% m-o-m to 26.5% y-o-y in October due to the electricity price increases to the household, retail, and industrial sectors in September and potentially higher energy prices in October with the government’s committee in charge of the indexation of gasoline and diesel prices scheduled to meet in October to discuss 4Q24 gasoline and diesel prices, and the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) considering increasing natural gas prices for the industrial sector by c10–30% depending on each industry, due to higher natural gas import costs. Regarding interest rates, Egypt’s latest 12-month average T-bill rate of 26.238%, offers a real interest rate, of 3.00% (net of 15.0% tax on US and UK investors and using our inflation estimate one year from now of 19.3%), higher than the real interest rate on the US 12-month T-bill of 1.86%, yet lower than the real interest rate on Turkey’s 12-month T-bill rate of 17.4%. So although a rate cut is needed to drive GDP growth, we believe that the MPC will opt to delay the cut until later in the year given the expected higher inflation in October, and hence we expect the MPC to maintain rates at its 17 October meeting.

It is worth mentioning that, in its 5 September meeting, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) maintained the benchmark overnight deposit and lending rates unchanged at 27.25% and 28.25%, respectively, after it hiked them by 600 bps in March, bringing total rate hikes to 1,900 bps since it started its tightening policy, including 300 bps in 2022, 800 bps in 2023 and 800 bps in 2024. Egypt’s annual headline inflation accelerated to 26.4% y-o-y in September from 26.2% y-o-y in August, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) data. Monthly prices rose 2.1% m-o-m compared to a similar 2.1% m-o-m increase in August. On the global front, on 19 September, the US Federal Reserve cut the federal funds rate by 50 bps to 4.75-5.00% after it hiked rates by 525 bps since it started its tightening policy in 2022. Also, the European Central Bank (ECB) lowered the key ECB interest rates for the main refinancing operations, the marginal lending and deposit facility, by 25 bps in June and 25 bps in September to 3.65%, 3.90%, and 3.52%, respectively.

About HC Securities & Investment

HC Securities & Investment is a leading investment bank in Egypt and the MENA region. Since its inception in 1996, HC has utilized its relationship-driven insights, local and regional market knowledge, and industry-specific expertise and strong execution capabilities to provide its clients with a wide range of services in investment banking, asset management, securities brokerage, research, custody and online trading through its offices in Egypt and the UAE (DIFC). HC Investment Banking has an outstanding track record of advising leading corporates in Egypt and the MENA region on M&A, capital market, and financing transactions in excess of USD6.6bn. HC Asset Management now manages 7 mutual funds for commercial banks and portfolios for institutions and sovereign wealth funds with assets under management in excess of EGP7bn. HC Brokerage is ranked among the top brokers in Egypt and provides a wide array of services, including research and online trading to institutional and retail clients.