BANGKOK: Companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand reported total sales last year of Bt11.51 trillion, up 3.61 per cent year on year. The total gross profit margin was maintained at 18.48 per cent, at similar rate as the end of 2013, while net profits were down 11.31 per cent year on year to Bt701.59 billion.
SET executive vice president Chanitr Charnchainarong said aggregate earnings were compiled from 526 listed firms, or 97.95 per cent of the total 537 companies on exchange (excluding those in the non-compliance and non-performing group), as of December 31, 2014.
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Of these firms, 435 companies, or 82.7 per cent of the total, made net profits. Their total sales in 2014 rose 3.61 per cent from 2013 to Bt11.51 trillion, while total net profits were Bt701.59 billion, down 11.31 per cent, resulting from a reduction of net profit of the Energy and Utilities and the Petrochemicals and Chemicals sectors affected by inventory losses, lower oil prices, and an increase in depreciation and amortisation expenses.
“Even though Thailand’s economy in 2014 was sluggish, companies listed on the SET reported positive sales growth,” Chanitr said. “In addition, they were able to maintain a gross profit margin of 18.48 per cent, a similar rate as at the end of 2013.
“However, 2014 net profit of listed companies could have seen a 1.81-per-cent increase if ordinary items were excluded.
“By sector, Banking, Information and Communication, Property Development, Food and Beverage, and Insurance were the top five in terms of net profits, in descending order, reporting higher profits and sales than a year earlier.
Their combined net profit accounted for 58.06 per cent of reporting listed firms, while sales of these five sectors accounted for 23.20 per cent of reporting listed firms.”
In the fourth quarter of 2014, total sales were Bt2.83 trillion, down 3.44 per cent from the same quarter of 2013, debt with net profit margins also decreasing 58.87 per cent to Bt68.3 billion. At the same time, debt-to-equity ratios (excluding those in the Financials industry) declined from 1.25 times to 1.18 times compared with the same quarter of 2013.
