BRC Asia is the big winner at this year’s Centurion Club awards, with its overall win in the basic materials sector, as well as weighted return on equity (ROE) and returns to shareholders. Pan-United Corporation, also in the building materials space, led in the profit after tax (PAT) growth category. Both companies are direct winners from the construction boom.

 

Thanks to the recent run-up after this year’s financial results were taken into account for the awards, BRC Asia’s market cap had already crossed $1 billion, while Pan-United, at more than $800 million, was also approaching this milestone.

BRC Asia is a leading supplier of steel here, with some analysts estimating it commanding a market share of more than half. Steel, of course, is an essential material used in building and construction, and with the local construction sector on an upcycle with the combination of key infrastructure projects as well as a ramp-up in public housing programmes, there’s clearly no shortage of demand for what BRC Asia sells.

 

See also: A rejuvenated Singapore market, a reset for The Edge Singapore

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Over the years, the company has supplied steel to notable local developments such as the National Library of Singapore, Marina Bay Financial Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Pinnacle @ Duxton, and Gardens by the Bay. Most recently, in July, it announced it won a $570 million order to supply materials for the upcoming Terminal 5 of Changi Airport. Other developments BRC Asia is involved in include the Cross Island Line Phase 2, PSA’s Tuas Terminal Finger 2 and various public housing flats. For its most recent FY2024 ended Sept 30, 2024, the company recorded a record net profit of $93.5 million. To reward shareholders, BRC Asia for FY2024 paid a total dividend of 20 cents per share, equivalent to a payout ratio of 59% for the year.

 

Pan-United Corporation is riding on the construction upcycle too. Similarly, it is a market leader in producing carbon mineralised concrete, a material essential in construction. For its most recent FY2024 ended Dec 31, 2024, the company achieved revenue of $812.3 million, up 5% over FY2023. Despite growing cost pressures, it managed to improve its profitability by 19% to $40.9 million.

To reward shareholders, Pan-United paid a total FY2024 dividend of 3 cents, up from the 2.3 cents paid in FY2023.