Companies are continually working hard to grow their businesses and achieve higher revenue and profitability.
At times, these businesses may announce various initiatives to improve shareholder value.
These range from acquisitions and divestments to collaborations and partnerships with other companies.
Investors need to assess such business developments to determine if they can help to sustain the long-term growth of the business.
Here are four Singapore companies that recently announced interesting initiatives targeted at increasing shareholder value.
UOL Group (SGX: U14)
UOL Group is a property and hospitality group with total assets of around S$23 billion.
The blue-chip company owns a diversified portfolio of development and investment properties, hotels, and serviced residences across Asia, Europe, Oceania, the US, and Africa.
In August 2025, UOL Group announced its first foray into the student accommodation sector with the acquisition of Varley Park in Brighton, UK, for £43.5 million.
Varley Park is a complex of student residential halls comprising 771 operational beds across 22 blocks.
This sector is seeing robust growth in the UK because of a growing student population and supply-demand imbalance.
This acquisition is financed through internal resources and external borrowings and aligns with UOL Group’s strategy of boosting its recurring income streams.
The group has seen its share price surge 44.6% year-to-date after releasing a strong set of earnings.
For the first half of 2025 (1H 2025), revenue rose 22% year on year to S$1.5 billion, with core net profit surging 58% year on year to S$205.5 million.
ISOTeam (SGX; 5WF)
ISOTeam provides building and maintenance services along with estate upgrading through its two key divisions, Repairs and Redecoration (R&R) and Addition & Alteration (A&A).
In the middle of August, ISOTeam entered into a collaboration agreement with design@LOFT (dLOFT) architects.
Both parties will work together to offer consultancy, regulatory submission, and renovation and conservation works as part of a suite of one-stop services for factory converted dormitories (FCDs).
dLOFT will provide architectural and consultancy services to the FCDs, while ISOTeam’s subsidiary, Zara, will provide interior decoration and retrofitting services.
This collaboration will be for an initial period of one year and will be automatically renewed annually unless terminated by either party.
Singapore has seen an increase in demand for worker dormitories in line with the country’s construction sector growth.
In tandem with this growth, the Ministry of Manpower is ramping up the supply of dormitories by converting factory space into FCDs.
Such a move will provide ample opportunities for ISOTeam to offer its expertise in upgrading and renovation work for these FCDs.
For fiscal 2025 (FY2025) ending 30 June 2025, ISOTeam reported a downbeat set of earnings.
Revenue dipped 8.4% year on year to S$119.2 million, while net profit declined 21.2% year on year to S$5.1 million.
The group had an order book of S$181.1 million as of 30 June 2025, which will be delivered over the next two years.
CapitaLand Ascendas REIT (SGX: A17U)
CapitaLand Ascendas REIT, or CLAR, is an industrial REIT with a total of 229 properties spread across Singapore, the US, Australia, the UK, and Europe.
The total assets under management (AUM) stood at S$16.8 billion.
CLAR announced the divestment of five industrial and logistics properties to unrelated third parties for a total consideration of S$329 million.
This consideration represents a premium of around 6% over the total market value of the properties and is also a 20% premium to the properties’ purchase price.
The estimated net proceeds amount to S$313.1 million and may be used to pay down debt, fund working capital needs, or be paid as a distribution to unitholders.
Assuming the full amount is used to pay down debt, CLAR’s aggregate leverage will drop from 37.7% to approximately 36.6%.
These divestments are in line with the manager’s proactive capital recycling strategy to improve the quality of the industrial REIT’s portfolio and enhance returns for unitholders.
Frasers Centrepoint Trust (SGX: J69U)
Frasers Centrepoint Trust, or FCT, is a retail REIT with a portfolio of nine retail suburban malls and an office building, all located in Singapore.
The REIT announced the divestment of 10 strata lots located at 51 Yishun Central 1 for S$34.5 million.
The purchaser of these lots is a direct subsidiary of FCT’s sponsor, Frasers Property Limited (SGX: TQ5).
These 10 strata title lots are located next to Northpoint City and were acquired in 2016 with a total gross floor area of 966 square metres.
The manager believes that this divestment will benefit unitholders as it is in line with the REIT’s proactive portfolio management strategy.
The net proceeds of around S$33.8 million will help reduce FCT’s gearing and strengthen the retail REIT’s financial position.
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Disclosure: Royston does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned.
