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BSE snapshots

Profiles of the biggest companies on the Beirut Stock Exchange

by Thomas Schellen

Solidere

Listing date: September 30, 1996

Number of listed shares

Class A 100,000,000

Class B 65,000,000

Opening price

Solidere A (Ten to one stock split on 06/01/1997) $113.5

Solidere B (Ten to one stock split on 06/01/1997) $116

Market capitalization (as of 31/12/05, source BSE)

Solidere A $1.8 billion

Solidere B $1.2 billion

Solidere was incorporated in 1994 as company for the development and reconstruction of the Beirut Central District (BCD). The firm’s capital was formed land and cash. Property owners in the downtown received share allocations based on judicial appraisals, the A Shares. Investors subscribing to the Solidere Initial Public Offering received B Shares. Initial restrictions differentiating the share types were later removed and A and B shares have traded in very similar ranges in recent years. Solidere shares are listed on the Beirut Stock Exchange and, since March 2005, on the Kuwait Stock Exchange.

Work on the BCD progressed at a rapid pace between 1994 and 1998, but slowed down significantly in a period that lasted until around 2003. In 2004 and 2005, the company started to pursue a revised strategy that stretched much of the original 10 to 12-year development plan into a 20-year plan. Solidere is in many ways synonymous with the economic fortunes of Lebanon and the share set the trends and dominated the volume of trading on the Beirut Stock Exchange since its reopening in 1996. The company, and its shares, saw an early period of good demand and active trading that lasted about two years. With heightened regional security worries and a domestic recession, the shares retreated in a following period and slumped to below 50% of their $10 (after share split) issue value. In early 2004, share prices embarked on a solid recovery, aided by an ingenious incentive program for shareholder-developers of real estate in the BCD. By mid 2005, and supported by the oil-driven liquidity surge of regional investors and by strong upsides of both Lebanese shares and properties, Solidere shares were serious buy recommendations for local, regional, and international investors, and traded above $24 at time of this writing in late January of 2006.

Lebanon’s late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was the leading force behind the establishment of Solidere and his family controls over 7% in Solidere shares, while the total number of shareholders approaches 35,000. Hariri was associated widely with the ups and downs of Solidere and when he was assassinated in February 2005, share prices dropped abruptly but recovered again quickly. In 2005, the company posted net profits of $51.06 million for the first nine months of the year, more than double its profits a year earlier. In January 2006, the company announced a property deal with an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm, which intends to develop a project with a total foot-print area of 229,871 square feet and a built-up area of almost 1.9 million square feet.

Banque Audi Saradar Group

Listing date December 29, 2004 GDR

Number of listed shares

6,198,823 (GDR)

Opening price $23.50 (GDR)

Market capitalization (as of 31/12/05, source BSE)

$371 million (GDR)

Audi Saradar was formed in June 2004, through a merger-acquisition agreement between Banque Audi and Banque Saradar. Joining in the largest banking sector consolidation event in Lebanon’s history, the group combined the retail and general market position of Banque Audi with the private banking and investment banking capacities of Banque Saradar and confirmed the group’s position as one of the top Lebanese banks with regional capacities.

The corporate envelope of Audi Saradar Group in Lebanon entails Bank Audi, Audi Saradar Private Bank (ASPB), Audi Saradar Investment Bank (ASIB), Libano-Arabe Insurance (90.75% stake via ASIB), and other entities. Internationally, the group includes three fully owned subsidiaries, Bank Audi (Suisse), Bank Audi (Jordan), and Bank Audi Saradar (France), along with a (direct and indirect) 47% stake in Bank Audi Syria, a joint venture with Syrian investors and a 2% stakeholding by Saudi investor Abdullah Abdulaziz Al Rajhi. Major shareholders in Audi Saradar Group include the Deutsche Bank Group, the Audi family, the Saradar Holding, Kuwaiti and UAE-based investors. In January of 2006, Audi Saradar announced a capital increase from $900 million to $1.5 billion. As part of the increase, Egyptian investment firm EFG-Hermes Holding acquired a 20% stake in Audi Saradar by obtaining 75% of 10 million new shares issued at $60 per share, for $450 million.

With total assets of $10.9 billion at the end of September 2005, Audi-Saradar reported a net profit of $74 million for the first nine months of 2005, compared to $48.08 million in the same period of 2004. In 2004, the bank closed another $100 million preferred share issue, in addition to a $60 million capital increase, related to the issuance of new common shares dedicated to the shareholders of Banque Saradar sal, following the merger acquisition with the bank in June 2004 Audi’s GDRs, which had traded below $25 in January of 2005, gained strongly throughout last year and surged amazingly with the start of 2006 from $59.85 at the end of 2005 to more than $90 in late January of 2006. Audi Saradar has initiated processes to acquire a bank in Egypt and open an operation in Saudi Arabia and is also reported to have plans to enter the Iraqi market.

BLOM Bank

Listing date November 2, 2001

Number of listed shares

4,389,601 (GDR)

Opening price $20

Market capitalization (as of 31/12/05, source BSE)

$292 million (GDR)

BLOM Bank has been the leader in the Lebanese banking sector for many years in terms of assets and profits. The group’s domestic network includes the investment banking subsidiary Blominvest Bank and insurance firm Arope. Internationally, BLOM operates subsidiaries Banque Banorient in Switzerland, Banque Banoarabe in France, and Banque du Syrie et d’Outre-Mer in Syria, incorporated in 2004.

BLOM Bank holds a 39% stake in the Syrian joint venture bank, in addition to which the International Finance Corporation holds 10% and Syrian investors own 51%. After receiving approval by Egyptian regulatory authorities in late 2005, BLOM Bank acquired 96.77% of the shares in Misr Romanian Bank, a bank with a small network in Egypt and an operation in Romania.

In January of 2006, BLOM Bank announced that it had changed the name of Misr Romanian Bank to BLOM Bank Egypt and intended to buy the bank’s remaining shares circulating in the market. Major shareholders in BLOM Bank include the Bank of New York and several Lebanese and Syrian families. Trading below $30 at the start of 2005, the price of BLOM GDR appreciated to $66.50 at the end of 2005 and climbed to the high $90s in late January of 2006, under predictions that further gains are likely. The acquisition of Misr Romanian Bank, along with a planned capital increase and further expansion projects made BLOM Bank increasingly attractive to investors. Unconfirmed reports from late last year said that BLOM Bank intends to also list shares on the Dubai International Financial Exchange (DIFX).

With assets standing at $11.3 billion at the end of September 2005 and customer deposits of $9.4 billion, BLOM Bank reported a net profit of $90.2 million for the first three quarters of last year, an increase of 28.5% compared to the same period of 2004. BLOM also increased its capital fund to $811.66 million, up 12.42%, in addition to which it undertook a $100 million preferred shares issue on October 25.

Byblos Bank

Listing date

May 14, 1998 Common listed shares

September 15, 2003 preferred callable shares

December 23, 2005 Priority listed shares

Number of listed shares

Common listed shares 68,354,909

Preferred callable shares 333,400

Priority listed shares 68,688,309

Opening price

Common listed shares $3.14

Preferred callable shares $100

Priority listed shares $2.50

Market capitalization (as of 31/12/05, source BSE)

Common shares $161 million

Preferred shares $37 million

Priority listed shares $158 million

Byblos Bank Group is the third largest bank in Lebanon where the bank succeeded over the past ten years to achieve growth through a combination of acquisitions of smaller Lebanese banks and local operations of existing international banks ABN Amro and ING Barings. The bank pioneered numerous retail products and is a leader in several consumer lending products.

The group’s portfolio of domestic subsidiaries includes Byblos Invest Bank and insurance sector firms Adonis Insurance and Reinsurance Company (ADIR) and Adonis Brokerage House. In ADIR, Byblos controls 64% and collaborates with French Group, Natexis Assurances Banque Populaire, which holds a 34% stake. The international presence of the group is rooted in Belgium-based Byblos Bank Europe, a 99.95% subsidiary. Since 2003, the Byblos Group has actively pursued regional expansion, establishing new subsidiary banks in Sudan and Syria and initiating the acquisition of Al Rayan Bank in Algeria. Khartoum-based Byblos Bank Africa, in which Byblos holds 65%, is a joint venture with the OPEC Fund for International Development and the Saudi Arabian Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, which hold 20% and 10%, respectively. The group’s stake in Byblos Bank Syria amounts to 41.5%, in addition to which the OPEC Fund holds 7.5% and Syrian investors own the remaining 51%. Byblos Bank Syria assumed full operations in December of 2005. Byblos Bank announced in late January that its net profits for 2005 increased by 28.5% over 2004 and reached $69 million on strong growth of its international business and its fee-based income. Total assets for 2005 reached $7.6 billion with an increase of 8.5% when compared to the bank’s $7 billion in assets at the end of 2004. Customer deposits grew by 2.8%, to $5.6 billion and customer loans advanced by 10.8%, to $1.5 billion. In a step to boost liquidity of its shares, Byblos Bank announced, after an extraordinary general assembly in January 2006, that it would list all its shares on the exchange by mid February. The bank also plans a capital increase in the range of $300 million to $450 million. Byblos common listed shares, which had traded below $1.50 in early 2005, closed at $2.36 at the end of December 2005. On the last Friday of January, the share closed at $3.85. In late January, Byblos preferred callable share and priority share were trading at $103 and $3.42, respectively.

Bank of Beirut

Listing date

April 11, 1997 Common shares

April 08, 2004 Preferred callable class B

December 30, 2005 Preferred shares class C

Number of listed shares

Common listed shares 13,535,945

Preferred callable shares B 3,000,000

Preferred callable shares C 2,920,000

Opening price

Common listed shares $3

Preferred callable shares B $11.56

Preferred callable shares C $11.56

Market capitalization (as of 31/12/05, source BSE)

Common shares $134 million

Preferred B $36 million

Preferred C $73 million

Bank of Beirut was one of Lebanon’s fastest growing banks in the period from 1990 until 2005. The bank pursued an active expansion strategy and was a leader in development of funds products listed on the bourse. Its network of subsidiaries includes an insurance brokerage in Lebanon, a unit in Cyprus, and a UK subsidiary. Shareholders in Bank of Beirut include UAE-based Emirates Bank International, with an 8.73% stake. The bank has a representative office in Nigeria and has plans for expansion. Bank of Beirut recorded a net profit of $16.31 million in the first nine months of 2005, an increase of 11% compared to the same period of 2004. Bank of Beirut’s investment funds in Lebanese and US dollar denominated currencies recorded impressive growth in the past two years. For the first six months of 2005, Bank of Beirut announced consolidated net income of $11.2 million, up 6.1% when compared with the same period in 2004. Net interest income increased by 2.1% to $33.3 million and net commission earnings rose by 33.1% to $10.1 million. Net profits on financial operations grew by 4.4% to $44.6 million. Total assets reached $3.95 billion, and customer deposits totaled $2.7 billion. Bank of Beirut common shares, which had traded below $8 in the first half of 2005, closed at $9.90 at the end of December 2005. On the last Friday of January, the share closed at $10.95. Preferred B and C shares traded at $12.10 and $25, respectively, in late January.

Rasamny-Younis Motor Company (RYMCO)

Listing date February 6, 1998

Number of listed shares

10,000,000

Opening price $3.75

Market capitalization (as of 31/12/05, source BSE)

$11 million

Founded in 1957, RYMCO is the first and only car dealing company listed on the BSE. The company, which is the distributor of Nissan, Infiniti and GMC vehicles in Lebanon, claims to control 17% of the Lebanese market share.

According to reports, the Kuwait-based Kharafi Group owns a stake of 12.80% in RYMCO and Lebanese investment bank Middle East Capital Group (MECG) owns 4.17%. In the first quarter of 2005, RYMCO’s showed a 70 to 60% year-on-year drop in net profits to $120,343. In spring 2005, MECG successfully closed a $20 million offering of automobile-backed receivable securities for RYMCO, the largest such transaction in Lebanon and one of the largest in the region. The shares in RYMCO traded at $1.10 on the last Friday of January.

BEMO

Listing date January 11, 1999

Number of listed shares

5,333,334

Opening price $3.25

Market capitalization (as of 31/12/05, source BSE)

$19million (Listed shares)

BEMO ( Banque Européenne pour le Moyen-Orient) is a niche bank with strong capacities in corporate and private banking.

Although its asset volume of less than $1 billion places it outside of the Lebanese banking sector’s top segment by size, BEMO is considered one the country’s more innovative banks. The bank’s profit curve has been very positive in recent years, moving from net profits of $650,000 in 2003 to over $1 million in 2004 and surging even stronger in 2005, with net profits reported at $2.1 million in the first half of the year. BEMO has an investment banking subsidiary, BESC Investment Bank.

In 2003, BEMO entered a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Banque Saudi Fransi, which took a 10% stake in the Lebanese bank. The two banks collaborated in setting up a new private sector bank in Syria, Banque BEMO Saudi Fransi, in which BEMO holds a stake of 22% while Banque Saudi Fransi holds 25%.

Due to the small number of circulating shares, the volume of trading on BEMO stock on the BSE is relatively small. BEMO’s shares surged to the $6 trading range in late January 2006 after closing 2005 at $3.50. As in the case of other shares on the BSE, BEMO benefited from the rush on Lebanese equities and stocks from Gulf investors.

Societe Libanaise Des Ciments Blancs

Listing date January 22, 1996

Number of listed shares

Bearer shares 6,000,000

Nominal shares 3,000,000

Opening price

Bearer $6.875

Nominal $6.875

Market capitalization (as of 31/12/05, source BSE)

Bearer $7.5 million

Nominal $4.5 million

Société Libanaise des Ciments Blancs saw its business drop as a result of the recession. The company did manage to post a $2.73 million in net profits for the first-six months of 2004, up from a net loss of $1.2 million in the same period the previous year. In 2004 sales were up by 55% to $43 million, while cost of goods sold (including distribution fees) increased significantly by 76% year-on-year to $21 million. In turn, total assets stood at $316 million, growing 4% on a yearly basis. The company did not publicly disclose its revenues or profits in 2005. At the time of writing, Ciments Blancs Bearer and Nominal shares are currently traded at $1.64 and $1.50 respectively.
 

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Thomas Schellen

Thomas Schellen is Executive's editor-at-large. He has been reporting on Middle Eastern business and economy for over 20 years. Send mail
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