This posting takes guts. Yes, people, its YTL Land again. That was supposed to be my top pick in the early part of the year when property counters were the flavour of the month. The last 5 months have seen this counter going from RM1.90 to below RM1.00. What has changed?
Well, sentiment for one, property counters went through a consolidation phase. Timing is everything here. RM1.00 ... apanama ni ... mana boleh. Been watching for the last few weeks when it went below RM1.00. No need to jump in yet UNTIL I see volume, that means the collection mode has kicked in. Just look at the build up in volume over last 2 days. Now is the time.
YTL Land, here's the short version if you don't feel like reading any further. Under covered stock, only ONE house has issued a report over the last 3 months. If we consider the numerous property counters that have gone sky high, you will find that YTL Land presents possibly the best portfolio, landbank and valuation.
While many have been lauding the property plays that are beneficiaries to the expanded MRT, no one will have the better exposure than YTL Land. It will be the biggest beneficiary of MRT given strategic landbank in Sentul, KLCC-Bukit Bintang and KL Sentral.
The recently completed corporate exercise pending will almost double its potential paid up/shares but the landbank injection will more than make up the prospects going forward. It will transform into regional developer with YTL Corp’s injection of prime land in KL and Singapore. If they did not do that, YTL Land would not have the scale and stir sufficient interest as a genuine branded developer with regional aspirations.
The bulk of attention centers on Sentul. The early concept for that master plan development stemmed from the Sentul KTM Komuter station and its tracks which split the 294-acre land. Sentul is located 5km north-west from the heart of Kuala Lumpur and 45 minutes from KLIA. The MRT is the "killer app" so to speak.
Executive director Datuk Yeoh Seok Kian unveiled Sentul's first commercial development - d7, a seven-story block comprising 20 retail stores on the ground floor, 78 office suites and 34 duplex offices in Sentul West. The project is completed and 100% sold. Another project d6, on Sentul East, is being planned. A sky bridge connects the two. d7 was launched at RM380 per sq ft a few years ago. It is expected to be priced about RM650 per sq ft in the secondary market. Rental rates are between RM3.50 and 4.00 per sq ft.
Yeoh says the company will build residential and commercial projects with a total sales value of about RM8bil over the next seven years. That location will be among YTL Land's largest property development. The plan was to characterise the two halves differently. Over time as Sentul West becomes more established, the community is likely to be more senior and relatively more sedate, compared with the community in Sentul East which will cater more to the up-and-going younger group of people living there. Spanning 186 acres, Sentul West will be the crown jewel of the location comprising a 35-acre private park and residences, offices and retail shops. Sentul East, which spans 108 acres, with all its vibrancy, will set the tone for modern downtown living. Work started on that site in 2002, beginning with The Tamarind in Sentul East and subsequently The Maple in Sentul West - but that was before the better transportation infrastructure.
Sentul Link also provides access to Jalan Sentul and Jalan Ipoh by connecting Jalan Mahameru at the intersection of Jalan Kuching. Say what you like but YTL property projects are usually not one-off, it comes with careful planning, continuous value add to the surroundings, a master of regeneration of public spaces and niche locations. We all have seen the transformation along Jalan Bukit Bintang from a near Petaling Street chaos to an Omotesando feel.
The regeneration of Sentul is not just about renewal of the physical environment and wealth. It is also about the renewal of its community, their access to local services and their relationship with the area and the people that live and work there," he says.
YTL Land currently has a land bank (with no holding costs) of over 2,000 acres with a sales value of about RM12bil. May I repeat this here, no holding cost.
Size does matter. Parent company YTL Corp is in the midst of injecting prime land in KL (KLCC-Bukit Bintang, KL Sentral) and Singapore (Sentosa Cove, Westwood Apartments in Orchard Road) into YTL Land for a reasonable RM476m (to be satisfied by cash and ICULS). Upon completion, YTL will transform into a regional player with track record in high-end residential and a bigger balance sheet. Although net gearing could increase to 1.45-1.8x from 0.2x currently, progress billings from the S$468m Sentosa Cove (substantially sold) should pare down borrowings quickly.
Many expect Sentul land values to appreciate to RM1000psf within the next 3-5 years, driven by MRT, higher ASP and plot ratio expansion. Along with higher land prices for KLCC-Bukit Bintang and KL Sentral, this would boost YTLL’s RNAV I do agree that the gap will narrow as we get nearer to ex-all date, which is why I think getting back to RM1.50 is an easy target.
RNAV is one thing if the projects are not launched at sufficient speed to be reflective in EPS growth. Here lies YTL Land's transformation from a sleepy developer.
YTL Land owns ~170 acres in KL City, comprising of Sentul (119 acres), KLCC-Bukit Bintang (5 acres), KL Sentral (5 acres), and Pantai Dalam (38 acres). YTLL is also the project manager for YTL Corp’s Lake Fields and MidFields residential project at Sungai Besi (entitled to 10% share of GDV). It is the master developer of the 294-acre Sentul, which is located less than 5km away.
Ripe for re-rating. Sentul’s land price is currently at a depressed RM150psf vs KLCC’s RM2400psf (RM38psf ppr vs RM240psf ppr). Many expect Sentul’s land values to leapfrog by 500% to RM1000psf within 5 years (46% CAGR), on the back of:
a) Potential major interchange with stop(s) on Circle Line. Sentul is already a multi-modal interchange for LRT and KTM. With the MRT, Sentul will turn into a major interchange with direct trains to KLCC on the Circle Line. This should significantly re-rate property values in Sentul, which are currently transacting at RM500psf vs KLCC’s >RM1000psf.
b) High density mixed development. As a major interchange, Sentul should benefit from higher traffic, which encourages high density mixed developments. Sentul East currently has only two commercial developments i.e. D6 and D7 which are less than 10-storeys (there are still three plots yet to be developed).
c) On-going urban renewal. Sentul has the potential to be the next KL Sentral, which is a good case study of successful urban renewal with transportation hubs. YTL Group has a strong track record in urban rejuvenation i.e. Bukit Bintang, Pantai Dalam near Bangsar, Lake Fields@ Sungai Besi, and now Sentul.
d) Plot ratio revision. Under the Revised KL Draft Structure Plan, Sentul’s allowable plot ratio will be raised from 2.5x to 4x. This should increase net saleable area for Sentul West alone by 57% to 16m sf. Even at 4x, we believe Sentul has one of the lowest plot ratios in KL for high density developments. We do not discount the possibility of plot ratios being raised further (possibly to 6x) given:
(i) Sentul is among the last large contiguous parcel of undeveloped land near KLCC;
(ii) strategic location just 10-15 minutes by car or 3-4 stops by MRT (direct train on the Circle Line) to KLCC; and
(iii) urban renewal in progress.
Based on RMpsf ppr, expected growth should be a more modest 344% ie from RM38psf ppr to RM167psf ppr (5- year CAGR of 35%) – still a significant discount to KLCC’s RM500ppr and KL Sentral’s RM292psf ppr.
Based on a plot ratio of 4x, ASP of RM700psf would imply a land value of RM500psf (assuming 25% pre-tax margin, gross construction cost of RM300psf) - significantly higher than the current asking price of RM150psf around Sentul.
Although net gearing may increase to 1.45-1.8x post completion of the entire exercise (including refinancing of S$448m advances made by YTL Corp for the acquisition of Westwood Apartments previously), progress billings from Sentosa Cove can be used to pare down borrowings fairly quickly. The S$468m or RM1.1b GDV project is already substantially sold and in advanced stage of completion (delivery by end-2011). The redevelopment of Westwood Apartments (acquired en-bloc in end-07) will have a GDV of S$728m (ASP S$3400) consisting of hotel and serviced apartments.
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