RIYADH: Shares of companies that beat quarterly earnings estimates outperformed on Tuesday with electronics and bookstore retailer Jarir helping lift the mood on Saudi Arabia’s exchange. Shares of Jarir surged 6 percent to SR141 ($37.6) in the heaviest volumes in two weeks after it reported a 26.5 percent rise in first-quarter net profit, beating analysts’ forecasts. The company’s board also recommended distributing SR2.2 per share for the period, higher than the SR1.75 it paid out in the prior year period. “This implies an annualized dividend of SR8.8 per share and yield of 6.6 percent, which is amongst the highest in the sector and offers downside-risk protection to investors,” said Riyadh-based NCB Capital. Jarir’s top line rose by 20.3 percent in the period, helped by rising sales of smartphones and sales of goods to schools.
Analysts at Riyadh-based Al-Rajhi Capital said revenue growth was probably driven by new store openings after Jarir opened a record seven retail stores in the last four quarters. Al-Rajhi Capital also said like-for-like sales at existing stores came in better than estimated. Consumers’ spending is expected to improve on the back of the reversal of last year’s cut in civil servants’ pay packages. That is good news for companies like Jarir, despite its shares trading at a slight premium to other retailers on a forward price-to-earnings ratio. NCB Capital, for example, rates the stock “overweight” and has a price target of SR142.6. It calculates the stock to be trading at a forward price-to-earnings of 16.3 times earnings compared to peers of 15 times. The positive mood spilled into most other local consumption related shares, with Jarir’s competitor United Electronics climbing 3.3 percent. The Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) rose 0.8 percent.
Supermarket operator Al-Othaim rose 1 percent after it reported a 29 percent rise in net profit on the back of sales growth at existing branches and the opening of new outlets. In Dubai, the index rose 0.5 percent as shares of Dubai Financial Market (DFM), the only listed stock exchange in the Gulf, rose 1.7 percent after its first-quarter net profit jumped by almost a fifth. In neighboring Abu Dhabi, shares of the largest listed developer Aldar Properties rose 1.8 percent after its net profit attributable to shareholders for the first quarter came in at the upper end of analysts’ estimates, although slightly lower than a year earlier. The index rose 0.1 percent. Qatar’s index added 0.1 percent as half of the shares rose. Oil-sensitive shares recovered some losses made in recent days with Gulf International Services adding 0.5 percent on Tuesday, but staying near a 2013 low touched on Sunday.
