Sunday, December 15, 2024

Journey To Retirement Part 12.1 -- Kep DC Reit

Year 2024 is a landmark for Kep DC Reit investment.  It marks a decade of holding for this investment.  This is the 8th stock after Genting Singapore, First Reit, SingPost, CapitaMall Trust, SIA, Kep Corp and MapletreeInd Trust that I've held.  While the like of Genting Singapore, First Reit, SingPost, SIA and Kep Corp have all being divested, Kep DC Reit remains invested along CapitaMall Trust and MapletreeInd Trust.  Similar to MapletreeInd Trust, am a Day 1 investor for Kep DC Reit.   Vested during its IPO at $0.93/unit which was listed on 12th Dec 2014 at Singapore Exchange.


Still can clearly recalled back in 2014 when Kep DC Reit was launching the IPO came across a blogger recommending a no-go for this IPO based on financial ratio comparison with another data center reit.  However, I was pretty clear and straight forward Kep DC Reit was for me.  To put it straight, my reason wasn't based on any financial fundamental but purely on from experience what I foresee what the future in need of.  Having working in R&D for decades, knowing how importance data management is and at that time in 2014, e-commence was starting to get popular coupling with the common sense that institutions like bank, telcos and exchange centers will have more and more data to be managed.  Engaging a data center to do the job will be much more cost efficient than doing it in-house.  Looking at after 10 years how Kep DC Reit has performance since IPO, whether said blogger regretted his/her recommendation then definitely not my problem and is super glad that I didn't follow said blogger recommendation.


Kep DC Reit has done a couple of right issues for these 10 years.  The first was in 2016 for 274 units for every 1000 units at preferential offer price of S$1.155, the second was in 2019 for 105 units for every 1000 units at preferential offer price of S$1.71.  The third was the latest this month of 86 units for every 1000 units at preferential offer price of S$2.03.  While I did participate in the 2016 and 2019 right issues, the latest one I decided to skip as I don't see the need for it despite certain degree of dilution.  Was there really a dilution effect for my holding in the latest right issue ?  Along with the 3 right issues, Kep DC Reit also did several private placements during these 10 years periods.


With the right issues, my initial holding increased by 66.67% and holding price increased from S$0.93 to S$0.9946.  So is there really a dilution effect with the latest right issue ???  At the price of S$2.21 (as of 13th Dec 2024), my holding is having an unrealized capital gain of 121.55% and a dividend return of 76.04%.  This making an annualized return of +8.28% and +11.52% w/o and with dividend respectively.  Though the dividend return has yet to hit the 100% milestone thereby making my investment mathematically impossible to lose money, based on the dividend payout record, I should be able to achieve that in 2026.