Tariff uncertainty casts shadow over Ann Joo outlook
According to the firm, the local steel industry is monitoring any indirect impact from a potential diversion of Chinese steel products.
However, it noted that China exported only 40,000 tonnes of long-steel products such as rebar and billets to the United States in 2024, accounting for less than 0.1 per cent of its total steel exports.
As of May 29, local rebar prices had declined to RM2,422 per tonne from about RM2,800 per tonne in November 2024, but remained 32 per cent above Chinese rebar prices, which stood at RM1,830 per tonne.
Even so, the firm expects China's planned production cuts to provide support to global steel markets if implemented in the second half of the year.
"On the demand side, Ann Joo's order flow visibility could improve alongside the gradual rollout of major infrastructure initiatives in Malaysia and another S$35 billion to S$39 billion worth of big-ticket awards in Singapore," it said.
Meanwhile, CIMB Securities said Ann Joo's first-quarter results fell short of expectations, with core losses of RM109 million as revenue declined 18 per cent year-on-year.
It attributed the weaker performance to lower selling prices and sales tonnage, amid renewed concerns over reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US administration, which have dampened sentiment in international steel markets.
"We now project Ann Joo to post financial year 2025 (FY25) core losses of RM178 million and we have cut our FY25 to FY26 core profit estimates by 4-8 per cent to between RM64 million and RM87 million.
"Following the earnings downgrade, we lower our target price for Ann Joo to 83 sen from RM1.02," it said, while maintaining a "Buy" call on the stock.
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