Hong Kong’s New World Development shares jump by a fifth after CEO resigns

HONG KONG :Shares of Hong Kong’s New World Development jumped 20 per cent in early Friday trade after the loss-making and indebted property developer announced a change at the helm.
New World said on Thursday that Eric Ma would be promoted to chief executive from chief operating officer, replacing Adrian Cheng, the third-generation scion of the firm’s founding family.
The surprise resignation took some of the sting out of New World’s swing to a HK$19.7 billion ($2.5 billion) net loss for the financial year ended June on a drop in revenue, high funding costs and large impairments.
That was its first annual loss in two decades and compares with a net profit of HK$548 million the previous year. On a core income from continuing operations basis, though, it logged a profit of HK$6.9 billion, down 18 per cent.
JP Morgan said the change in management would unlikely offer a quick fix to the company’s deteriorating balance sheet, noting that adjusted net gearing had increased to 85 per cent from 77 per cent.
New World “will need to undergo a painful deleveraging process in the next few years through asset disposals … investors’ confidence may not be revived until more proof of easing in liquidity stress,” it said.
Friday’s surge in shares valued New World at roughly $3.2 billion, far less than the $12 billion when Cheng took on the top job in May 2020.
It is uncommon for an outsider to lead the business of a Hong Kong tycoon family, but analysts said changing corporate culture by bringing in professional management could be good for the firm.
“We believe operational continuity for large-scale well-established firms hinges on a system rather than an individual, while professional management may be more pragmatic on cost and risk,” Citi said in a research note.
New World, which has the highest debt among its Hong Kong peers, said it would dispose of non-core assets worth HK$13 billion but reiterated it will not consider a rights issue.