138 Student Living long term inflation play
The growing population of university students, attending colleges within the Kingston area means a steady demand for affordable accommodation for students. Apart from Jamaicans, there are many overseas’ students attending the universities and in need of accommodation.
Historically, the Mona Heights homeowners utilized their helpers’ quarters to accommodate many youngsters and generate added income at the same time. These were very popular with students, as they were within walking distance of the colleges. The university’s population has grown vastly, since the 1960s and seventies, when these units could have provided a decent supply of rooms for the community. According to 138 Student Living Jamaica Limited who are seeking capital to build out the development of 1,584 student residence units, there is currently a shortage of on – campus student accommodation at the UWI Mona campus, which has in total 3,356 rooms for student accommodation. In the 2013/14 academic year, 5031 first year students applied for the 1,678 available allocated rooms for first year students. The remaining rooms were allocated to returning students. Helping to push demand is that enrolment at Mona has nearly doubled since 2001 moving from 8,758 students to 16,518 in 2013, 138 Students Living states.
The company is partnering with UWI Mona, under the Concession Agreement to construct and manage 1,584 rooms. The UWI guarantees 90% occupancy of the constructed units in any 51 – week period for as long as the Concession Agreement is in place, which is currently contemplated to be a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 65 years.
Opening|Effective November 27, the Company invites applications for up to 82,900,000 Ordinary Shares at $4 each and initially, 33,680,000 subject to an increase up to 60,000,000 Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares at $5.
The issue is underwritten by JMMB, the Underwriter, who has given an irrevocable commitment to subscribe for any of the 82,900,000 Ordinary Shares and/or the 13,680,000 Preference Shares that are not taken up by Applicants on the Closing Date of the Invitation up to a maximum of $400M. The existing shareholders are also selling 15,716,667 units. The offers will close on Thursday, 4 December 2014. With the ordinary share issue have been fully underwritten it is expected that the directors will be making the application to the Jamaica Stock Exchange the Ordinary Shares and the Preference Shares on the Main Market.
The preference shares| Cumulative preferential dividends will be paid at a rate equal to the Government of Jamaica 180 days Weighted Average Treasury Bill Yield plus 3% per annum (WATBY + 3%). Dividends will accrue from the issue date, and paid on the 4th anniversary. Thereafter dividends will accrue and be due and payable semi-annually. With 182 days Treasury bills rate is now at 7.385 percent the yield initially will be just over 10 percent, but that is sure to decline within months and could remain pretty low going forward as the country sorts out its economy and enter a period of economic stability. The listing will provide a market for investors to quit early, if they so desire, the question then will be at what price?
The Company is a special purpose real estate investment company. It was established by the Founder, its majority shareholder K Limited, which is a company owned and controlled by the Chairman of the Company John Lee former PriceWaterhouse Partner and his immediate family members inclusive of his wife Director Marrynette Lee. Under the direction of John Lee and Marrynette Lee, K Limited has in the past 7 years developed a number of multiple – residential accommodation complexes comprising over 100 units in the aggregate, in and around Kingston and Saint Andrew.
Future income| On the positive side, it could be a good dividend payer with the potential for steady revenues due the demand for housing at UWI and the agreement they have with UWI re guaranteed income. The real payoff will be long term as interest cost falls while revenues grow.
The projections are for a loss in 2016 of $71 million and profit of $28.4 million in 2017, then $161 million in the following year and $269 million in 2019. The projection factors in very high levels of debt servicing cost that exceeds 50 percent of projected income. That of course is going in the opposite direction to what is happening to interest rates currently and could redound to the benefit of investors with increased profits, if interest rates decline. That is assuming the company is not tied into high fixed interest rates on loans to fund the development, as Jamaica comes to grips with its high interest cost, which it seems poised to do, with government’s focus on wiping out high fiscal deficits and reduction in its debt load. At November 13, the company had incurred $436 million in construction of the units so far.
The overall project, to cost $4.4 billion, is to be funded by $3.8 billion of debt and would make the company highly leveraged with long-term capital of just over $900 million. While the company could and should raise added equity capital going forward, the projection for high debt funding, could delay or derail the full build out of the units in the time frame expected which is up to 2017 as such the forecasted.
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[…] 138 Student Living dominated trading with 12.2 million ordinary and 12 million preference shares changing hands accounting for $108 million. The Jamaica Stock Exchange, ended with the main market moving in the opposite direction to that of the junior market. On a day the junior market reached a new all-time high with 7 stocks advancing and none losing, with 4 stocks closing at new highs, the main market slipped, with only 3 stocks advancing with all losses coming from this market. The markets closed with the prices of 10 stocks rising, 11 declining as 31 securities changed hands, ending in 28,982,879 units trading, valued at $131,346,625, and 7 new 52 weeks’ highs and 1 new low, in all market segments TheJSE Market Index lost 310.43 points to 97,890.06, the JSE All Jamaican Composite index fell 346.98 points to close at and the 108,353.72 JSE combined index dropped 220.38 points to end at 100,762.69. IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 9 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 8 with offers that were lower. The junior market that recorded all gains showed weakness at the end with 5 stocks closing with lower offers than the last sale and only 2 with bids that were higher. Stocks trading include, Cable & Wireless with 645,332 shares changing hands with a loss of 1 cent to close at 44 cents. Desnoes & Geddes closing with 870,000 stock units trading at $8, Grace Kennedy had 10,000 shares changing hands at $63.90 to lose 1 cent, Hardware & Lumber closed with 7,147 shares trading to end with a gain of $1 at a new 52 weeks’ high of $19. Investors continue to react to Jamaica Stock Exchange big jump in profits and announcement of a 53 cents dividend as they snapped up the 50,000 stock units on sale and still wanted more with bids at $6.00 to $6.55 to buy 162,000 units. The stock gained 25 cents for the day and closed at $6. JMMB Group saw 179,100 shares trading, to close at $7.26, down 24 cents, 138 Student Living traded 12,202,200 stock units and lost 40 cents to end at $4. Sagicor Group had 16,457 shares trading with a gain of 24 cents to end at a new 52 weeks’ high of $12.30, the stock closed with a bid of $13.20 to buy 1,000 shares, posted at 12:24 pm on Wednesday. Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 63,800 stock units at $7.60, Scotia Group had 31,000 shares trading, to close with a 10 cents loss at $24.40, Scotia Investments fell $3.57 with 6,300 stock units trading, to end at $26.28. Seprod lost 50 cents with 6,888 shares trading, to close at $15.49, Proven Investments traded 229,035 stock units at 21 US cents, Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% preference share trading 1,401,000 units at $2.03 while 138 Student Living preference share traded 12,000,000 units at $5 and Proven Investments 8% preference share traded 42,955 units at $5. […]
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[…] investment. At the launch, the managers stated that the fund has started off with an investment in 138 Student Living shares that are listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE). A minimum purchase of 100 units is […]
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[…] Carreras finishing with 129,395 shares while gaining 80 cents to close at $39.50. Recently listed, 138 Student Living ending with 2,775,000 units 30 cents higher, at a new all-time high of $4.40 and Proven Investments […]
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[…] 138 Student Living Jamaica received the full amount they sough from the capital market, when the initial public offer, was fully taken up at the close of the offer, on Thursday 4 December, JMMB Securities Ltd reported to the Jamaica Stock Exchange. According to a release from the brokers “all of the Ordinary Shares and Preference Shares offered for subscription by the Company, valued at $500m in the aggregate were fully taken up. All Applicants will receive a full allotment of the amounts that they applied for.” The Company offered 82,900,000 Ordinary Shares at $4 each and initially, 33,680,000 subject to an option to increase the amount up to 60,000,000 Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares at $5. In addition shareholders of the company offered for sale 15,716,667 ordinary shares at $4 each to raise $62.8 million and received $31.3m. The Company will now apply to the Jamaica Stock Exchange for the listing of the Ordinary Shares and the Preference Shares on the Main Market of the JSE. […]
[…] to deliver a new experience in student living and to welcome the first batch of 576 students at 138 Student Living in early August 2015,” John Lee, Chairman of the company advised shareholders recently in the […]