PTT Exploration and Production

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012
PTT Exploration and Production

Up 2012-2013's forecast

 

Current price (B) 156.00
Fair Value (B) 195.69
Market cap (B bn) 517.91
- 3Q12’s net profit skyrockets 126.6%qoq, slightly lower 
than expected 
- Up 2012-2013’s forecast on assumption for higher gas 
selling price 
- 2013’s fair value is B195.69/share. Buy 
 
 
3Q12’s net profit skyrockets 126.6%qoq, slightly lower  CGR
than expected   
PTTEP reported 3Q12’s net profit at B17.5bn, skyrocketing 126.6%qoq but 
slightly lower than our projection because we had overestimated product 
selling price which actually decreased 0.26%qoq to  stand at US$64/bbl 
following crude oil price despite increasing natural gas selling price in 3Q12. 
However, a significant increase in 3Q12’s profit has resulted from the 
following reasons. 1) There is no extraordinary expense from Montara asset 
impairment like it was in the previous quarter (in 2Q12 the company booked 
as high as B3.3bn impairment), while FX loss has dropped by B570m. 2) 
Selling volume has increased 10.9%qoq to 292,000 bbls/day from the 
recognition of the 320-million-cubic-feet-per-day Bongkot project for a full 
quarter and additional crude selling volume from Vietnam 16-1 project. 
Overall, net profit in 9M12 stood at B43.5bn, hiking 47.1% from the same 
period last year and accounting for 87% of our FY2012’s forecast. 
 
-Up 2012-2013’s forecast on assumption for higher gas 
selling price   
We revise up our net profit forecast for 2012-2013 to reflect an actual gas 
selling price which is higher than we have previously assumed. Under thenew forecast, gas selling price in 2012-2013 is raised to US$7.25/million BTU 
from US$6.25/million BTU mainly because a selling price of gas from a new 
source, Bongkot South, is higher than the existing  source (since 1H12 
onward), while a gas selling price usually has 3-6 months of lag time from 
the oil price, so an increase in gas price will be  recognized in 2H12. 
Accordingly, net profit in 2012 and 2013 would increase by 17.1% and 
14.7% from the previous forecast to stand at B58.5bn and B62.5m, 
respectively, or the growth of 31%yoy and 7%yoy. However, we project 
profit in 4Q12 to weaken from 3Q12. Although gas selling price would 
increase from the abovementioned contributions, it  would be offset by 
weakening crude price and production and sale volume that is anticipated to 
decline from annual maintenance shutdowns of many projects. Moreover, the 
company might have to book extraordinary expense on the write-off, such as 
for the Algeria project. 
- 2013’s fair value is B195.69/share. Buy   
Under the new forecast, fair value at end-2013 is B195.69/share (effect from 
capital increase included). We confirm our recommendation to buy due to 
long term fundamental factors that would improve continuously from new 
projects. For example, the company will start recognizing Montara project in 
Australia in 2013 (with average crude oil production capacity of 25,000 
million bbls/day) and M9 project in Burma in 2014 (with gas production 
capacity of 300 million cubic feet/day). Furthermore, in the long run there is 
still the hope from the company’s investment in Cove Energy. Preliminarily, 
the Mozambique source is projected to start a commercial operation in late 
2018 with starting capacity of 20,000 bbls/day (according to PTTEP’s 
shareholding).