GGRAsia – Aristocrat top-50 listed Australian firm via S&P index

Aristocrat top-50 listed Australian firm via S&P index

Mar 10, 2017 Newsdesk Industry Talk, Latest News, Top of the deck, World

S&P Dow Jones Indices has announced the inclusion of slot machine maker Aristocrat Leisure Ltd in its index of the 50 most valuable companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, a bourse also known as ASX.

The inclusion of Aristocrat in the S&P/ASX 50 Index was part of S&P Dow Jones Indices’ March quarterly review. The inclusion will become effective at the open of trading on March 20, S&P Dow Jones Indices announced on Friday.

Aristocrat is currently a component stock of the S&P/ASX 100 Index.

The firm’s net profit after tax jumped 88 percent year-on-year in the 12 months to September 30, to AUD350.5 million (US$269.4 million). Group revenue expanded by 34.5 percent year-on-year, to nearly AUD2.13 billion, while earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 54.1 percent, to AUD806.0 million.

Aristocrat has had a new chief executive with effect from March 1, with Trevor Croker succeeding group head Jamie Odell.

As part of S&P Dow Jones Indices’ quarterly review, Southeast Asia casino operator Donaco International Ltd was dropped from the S&P/ASX 300 Index; Australia-based slot machine supplier Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd was retained as one of the components of this index.

Net profit after tax at ASX-listed Donaco rose 5 percent year-on-year in the six months to December 31. That was despite group revenue slipping 14.4 percent, and EBITDA contracting by 14.8 percent year-on-year in the first-half fiscal.

Following S&P Dow Jones Indices’ quarterly review, Australian casino operator Crown Resorts Ltd was retained as a component stock of the S&P/ASX 100 Index. Crown Resorts is a shareholder in Asian casino developer Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. But following a series of sell downs by Crown Resorts regarding its interest in Melco Crown over the past 12 months, the Australian firm now holds 11.2 percent of the Asia-focused entity, Crown Resorts confirmed on February 23.