Basil Read drops on losses

Picture: Liza van Deventer.

Picture: Liza van Deventer.

Published Mar 15, 2013

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Johannesburg - Basil Read, a South African construction company, dropped the most in more than six months after it said unprofitable road-building projects will weigh on full-year earnings.

The stock fell as much as 9.3 percent, the most on an intraday basis since August 24, and was 7.2 percent lower at 11 rand by 12:51 p.m. in Johannesburg.

About 164,000 shares were traded, or 1.7 times the daily three-month average.

Earnings excluding one-time items will probably be “185 percent to 195 percent” lower, the Johannesburg-based company said in a statement today.

Basil Read provided for losses of 210 million rand ($23 million) on two road construction projects.

The company will pay a special dividend of 1.75 rand a share following the 900 million rand sale of its TWP Holdings division to a unit of Australia’s WorleyParsons.

The net receipt of the sale was 877 million rand, Basil Read said in the statement. - Bloomberg News

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