REG - Macau Prop Opp Fund - Q3 2015 Investor Update <Origin Href="QuoteRef">MPO.L</Origin>

Macau Property Opportunities FundAnnouncement

08/10/2015 07:00

RNS Number : 5545B
Macau Property Opportunities Fund
08 October 2015
08 October 2015
Macau Property Opportunities Fund Limited
("MPO" or the "Company")
Investor Update 
Third Quarter 2015 
Quick Facts

Exchange
London Stock Exchange
Domicile
Guernsey 
Market Capitalisation
120 million
Share Price
157p 
Portfolio Valuation
US$463.7 million1
Loan-to-Value
34%2
Adjusted NAV per share
US$3.97 /253p1,3
Discount to Adjusted NAV
38% 
1As at 30 June 2015. 
2Assuming a full drawdown of MPO's committed loan facilities and based on MPO's portfolio value as at 30 June 2015.
3Based on a US$/ exchange rate of 1.573 as at 30 June 2015.
All other data are as at 30 September 2015.
At a Glance 
 The Fountainside handover of units. 26 of the 27 sold units were handed over to buyers. Total income generated, including parking lots, was HK$224.5 million (US$28.9 million). 
 Estrda da Penha enhanced by renovation works. This unique c.12,000 square feet residence offers panoramic views of Macau and Hengqin Island.
 Decline in occupancy level at The Waterside. Occupancy as at quarter end stood at c. 35%, with 20 units leased as compared to 24 units in the last quarter.
 Opportunistic share buybacks to enhance shareholder value. 1.4% of issued shares were repurchased at an average discount to the latest adjusted NAV of c. 30%.
 Macau's economy continues to adjust. The local monetary authority forecasts that Macau's economy will contract by 15% this year due to falling gaming revenues.
 China's anti-graft campaign continues. 26 government bodies and state-owned companies were implicated during the second round of corruption inspections.
Overview
The handover of sold units at The Fountainside has been substantially completed. Macau's economic contraction continued to adversely impact occupancy levels at The Waterside. Renovation works at Estrda da Penha were successfully completed. 
Fund 
The Fund released its results in September for the year ended 30 June 2015.
MPO's portfolio valuation saw its first annual drop - by 14.0% - in six years, partly due to weaker gaming revenues which has affected property market sentiment. The Fund's portfolio was worth US$463.7 million as at 30 June 2015, translating into an Adjusted NAV of US$308.0 million. Adjusted NAV per share was US$3.97 (c. 253p), a drop of 18.7% for the year. 
The Fund remains committed to share buybacks. During the quarter, 1,101,000 shares worth 1.9 million were repurchased and cancelled. 
The Fund's latest estimated Adjusted NAV per share as at 30 September 2015 will be released in November.
Portfolio 
The Waterside
Occupancy levels remained under pressure. As at the end of the quarter, occupancy was 35%, a decline from last quarter's 43.9%. 
While average monthly rentals were HK$27.28 (US$3.50) per square foot, a fall of only 0.73% from the previous quarter, we expect rental values to start to decline. Of the nine expiring leases during the quarter, three were renewed at an average monthly rental rate of HK$23.46 (US$3.01) per square foot or 14% lower than the building's average. 
Our asset management efforts continue with the implementation of proactive strategies to stabilise occupancy and maintain rental values. Some of the initiatives include having a diversified tenant mix, providing rental discounts, implementing advance rental payment to discourage early lease termination, and offering attractive incentives to agents to drive leasing transactions. 
The asset enhancement programme is progressing well and on schedule. Six units have been completed with five more currently in progress. The enhancement works are expected to continue progressively over the next year. 
The Fountainside
The handover of 26 of 27 sold units was completed with a total amount of HK$202.6 million (US$26.1 million) received in final payments. 
A sales campaign was held in September to promote and drive sales for the remaining unsold units. Parking lots have proven to be popular, with eight car lots and one motorcycle lot sold for a combined value of HK$21.9 million (US$2.8 million) during the quarter. We expect demand for parking lots to continue. There is no cap on the number of motor vehicles allowed in Macau and the growing motor vehicle ownership continues to drive demand for parking spaces in the city.
Estrda da Penha 
Renovation works were completed in September. Estrda da Penha is now a single, ultra-premium detached residence spanning c.12,000 square feet and offers panoramic views of Macau and neighbouring China. We plan to hold on to the asset, which is located in the exclusive Penha Hill neighbourhood, until an opportune time to divest it is identified.
Senado Square
We are currently awaiting a new urban conditions plan - which confirms a development's permissible plot ratio - to be issued for the Senado Square project. This is due to the changes implemented by Macau's Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau in January this year. 
A public consultation process is also required before the submission of the development's revised architectural plans. Despite these delays, we remain optimistic and are working towards submitting detailed plans in Q1 2016 and, subject to the receipt of all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals, to begin construction before the end of 2016.
Macau
Macau is undergoing a period of adjustment. The Monetary Authority forecasts Macau's economy will contract by approximately 15% this year. In addition, the city's Gross Domestic Product for the second quarter shrunk 26.4% year-on-year, a further drop from the 24.5% in the first quarter. The contraction was mainly attributed to declining revenues in the gaming and tourism industries. The gross gaming revenue in September was US$2.1 billion, representing a 33% year-on-year decrease. This was consistent with previous recent monthly declines. 
China's anti-graft campaign continues which has kept market sentiment negative. 26 government bodies and state-owned companies were implicated in the second round of the anti-graft campaign, which included the People's Daily newspaper and several companies with a significant presence in Hong Kong. 
Meanwhile, transit visa rules were relaxed as at 1 July, which analysts and market watchers saw as a move to mitigate the negative impact on Macau's gaming industry. While visitor arrivals continued to fall in August to 3 million, representing a 1.7% year-on-year drop, this was an improvement over June's figure, which saw only 2.25 million visitors, the lowest since 2012. 
The Economic Intelligence Unit expects the city's economic growth to reach 6.7% in 2016. It also predicts that gaming revenue will increase, but at a much lower level than that previously experienced, in the later part of the year.
Property 
The average prices of residential properties declined 17% year-on-year in August to HK$7,584 (US$980) per square foot, based on data from Macau's Financial Services Bureau. The number of transactions registered was 443, a 22% drop over the year. 
Property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) predicts Macau's property market will continue to consolidate in the second half of the year. JLL's data showed that newly completed residences were launched at discounted prices in the first half of the year, resulting in the capital value for high-end residential sectors to decline by 17% year-on-year during the first half of the year. 
According to a recent market forecast by Savills, the supply for mid-to-high end residential properties is expected to be significantly reduced in 2016 - a decline from the 4,347 units in 2015 to only 271 units. 
Despite the current downturn, the long-term drivers of property values - population growth, rising incomes, tight housing supply and scarcity of land -remain firmly in place. The opening of new resorts in 2016 is likely to draw more visitors and bring in more foreign workers, providing support for the market.
- Ends -
About Macau Property Opportunities Fund
Macau Property Opportunities Fund Limited is a closed-end investment fund registered in Guernsey. Listed on the London Stock Exchange's main market, it is also a constituent stock of the FTSE All-Share and FTSE SmallCap indices.
Launched in 2006, the Fund targets strategic property investment and development opportunities in Macau and mainland China's western Pearl River Delta. Its current US$463.7 million portfolio comprises a mix of well-positioned residential and retail property assets.
The Fund is managed by Sniper Capital Limited, an Asia-based property investment manager with an established track record in fund management and investment advisory.
www.mpofund.com 
For further information:
Sniper Capital 
Tel: +65 6222 1440
Email: info@snipercapital.com
www.snipercapital.com 
Public Relations
MHP Communications
Andrew Jaques/ Simon Hockridge / James Morgan
Tel: +44 20 3128 8100
Company Secretary & Administrator
Heritage International Fund Managers 
Mark Huntley / Laurence McNairn
Tel: +44 14 8171 6000
Corporate Broker
Liberum Capital
Richard Bootle / Jonathan Wilkes-Green
Tel: +44 20 3100 2232
Stock Codes:
Bloomberg: MPO LN
Reuters:  MPO.L

This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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