Business

Thursday June 21, 2012

Prestariang plans interim dividend

By LIZ LEE
lizlee@thestar.com.my


KUALA LUMPUR: ICT certification and training provider Prestariang Bhd intends to distribute quarterly interim dividends this year, instead of a final dividend.

Executive director Abu Hasan Ismail said that Prestariang's dividend policy would remain above 50% without affecting the company's cashflow.

“We have low capital and no debt so the quarterly dividends will not impact our cash position,” he told reporters after Prestariang's AGM.

Abu Hasan added that due to the company's strong cash position, Prestariang was also looking at possible mergers and acquisitions to complete its software-developing and training value chain.

Now that Prestariang has an education arm, it is looking to include a job placement business to its group.

Of this year's growth outlook, he was confident of a two-digit growth.

“The question has been if we are able to sustain our three-digit revenue growth but this year, our target is two-digit,” he said.

This year, Abu said the company will be focused on further developing its intellectual property, was in search of partners to enhance its products and grow its education business, which would provide long-term recurring income.

He implied that Prestariang was interested to work with other technology bigwigs like Google and Apple Inc, aside from its current partner Microsoft.

Prestariang will also adjust its strategy towards more training this year, focusing on the education business through its subsidiary Prestariang Education Sdn Bhd wth a paid-up capital of RM20mil. The company targets 40% revenue from training and 60% from software.

Under its in-house developed certification titles, the company will launch an English language for employment programme in the third of quarter of this year and a sustainability certification in the last quarter.

For its overseas ventures, Prestariang is now developing its IC Citizen programme for Europe, China and India given that its service expansion into Middle East has been fruitful, with 30,000 students on board.

It also aims to develop its proprietary test and assessment engine to deliver its own exams globally.

Currently, its international business contributes 2% of Prestariang's total revenue.

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