Guotai Junan Securities "Downgrades"
Stock prices continue to be below par value per share, and the third board securities firm Yuekai Securities cannot escape "downgrading".
On September 24, Yuekai Securities announced that as of that day, the company's stock had closed at a price below its par value per share for 60 consecutive trading days. According to relevant regulations, if an innovative layer company's stock closes at a price below its par value per share for 60 consecutive trading days, the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ) will adjust it to the basic layer.
The reporter noticed that at the end of March this year, Yuekai Securities had already issued multiple risk warnings about being downgraded from the third board due to the company's stock price continuing to be below its par value per share. Since April this year, the controlling shareholder of Yuekai Securities has increased its holdings to support the stock price, but it is still unable to turn things around.
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People interviewed believe that stock prices are a barometer of the operating conditions of listed companies. The company's move from the innovative layer to the basic layer may reflect that the company's fundamentals and performance are not as expected by the market. Downgrading will affect the company's image and its liquidity performance in the market. Insufficient liquidity will not be conducive to price discovery functions, nor will it be conducive to subsequent transfers to the Beijing Stock Exchange or the STAR Market.
Triggering the downgrading situation
On September 24, Yuekai Securities, which is currently in the innovative layer of the third board, issued a risk warning notice triggering the downgrading situation.
According to the announcement, the time when Yuekai Securities entered the current level "innovative layer" was May 25, 2020. At that time, the entry into the layer met the standard situation: the average market value of the most recent 60 market-making or bidding trading days was no less than 600 million yuan; the total share capital was no less than 50 million yuan; for those adopting the market-making trading method, there were no less than 6 market-making merchants.
Now, Yuekai Securities has triggered the downgrading situation. On September 24, Yuekai Securities stated that as of that day, the company's stock had closed at a price below its par value per share for 60 consecutive trading days.
According to relevant regulations, if an innovative layer company's stock closes at a price below its par value per share for 60 consecutive trading days, the NEEQ will adjust it to the basic layer. According to the relevant regulations on tiered management, the NEEQ will start the downgrading adjustment work within 5 trading days from the date of determination of the above situation.
The announcement also shows that according to the relevant provisions of Article 21 of the "Tiered Management Measures", Yuekai Securities has the risk of not being able to enter the innovative layer again within 12 months from the date of adjustment to the basic layer.However, in the announcement, Yuekai Securities also emphasized that the company's current business operations are stable, and its financial condition is sound, with no significant operational risks. The company will continue to adhere to compliant management, strive to improve its operational level, actively pay attention to the progress of related work, strictly follow the "Tiered Management Measures," "Tier Adjustment Business Guidelines," and the relevant requirements of the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ) system to fulfill relevant procedures and disclose information properly. Investors are advised to pay attention and make cautious decisions.
Shareholders' "Self-help" Unsuccessful
The reporter noticed that at the end of March this year, Yuekai Securities had already issued multiple risk warnings about being downgraded on the NEEQ due to the company's stock price continuously being below par value per share.
Since April this year, Guangzhou Development District Holding Group, the controlling shareholder of Yuekai Securities, has increased its holdings to support the stock price. On September 24th, while issuing a risk warning about triggering the downgrade situation, Yuekai Securities also released an announcement on the progress of shareholders' share increases.
According to the announcement, as of the disclosure date of this announcement, Guangzhou Development District Holding Group has been fulfilling its commitment to increase its holdings. After this increase, the current number of shares held by Guangzhou Development District Holding Group has changed from 1.57 billion to 1.634 billion, and the holding ratio has changed from 47.24% to 49.19%.
Regarding the purpose of the increase, the announcement clearly stated that, in view of the company's recent stock price being below par value per share, the controlling shareholder of the company intends to increase its holdings based on the judgment of the long-term investment value of the company's stock in the capital market and confidence in the company's future continuous and stable development.
However, it is obvious that the increase in shareholders' holdings has not had much effect on the stock price of Yuekai Securities. To date, from entering the innovation layer to the final exit, Yuekai Securities has stayed in the innovation layer for 4 years and 4 months.
From the Innovation Layer to the Basic Layer, How Much Impact Does Downgrading Have on NEEQ Companies?
Financial commentator Zhang Xuefeng introduced to the reporter that the NEEQ is divided into three levels: the basic layer, the innovation layer, and the selected layer. Companies in the innovation layer usually have better operating performance, growth, and compliance, enjoying higher market attention and financing convenience. Downgrading has multiple impacts on NEEQ companies, including weakened financing capabilities, reduced stock liquidity, decreased market attention, and shaken confidence among shareholders and investors.
"Stock price is a barometer of a listed company's operating conditions. The company's move from the innovation layer to the basic layer may reflect that the company's fundamentals and performance are not meeting market expectations," financial commentator Guo Shi Liang analyzed and pointed out that downgrading will affect the company's image and its liquidity performance in the market. Insufficient liquidity will not be conducive to the price discovery function, nor will it be conducive to subsequent transfers to the Beijing Stock Exchange or the STAR Market.Senior Management Adjustments and Changes
In addition to the risk of "downgrading," the changes in the senior management of Yuekai Securities have also attracted market attention.
On January 16th of this year, Yuekai Securities issued a resignation announcement for senior management personnel, stating that on the 12th of the same month, it received a resignation report from President Wang Baoshi. Due to age reasons and after careful consideration, Wang Baoshi applied to the company's board of directors to resign from the position of president. On the same day, the company announced the initiation of a global recruitment for the president, and during the transition period, the board of directors agreed to authorize Vice President Lei Jie to perform the duties of the president. According to the semi-annual report disclosed by Yuekai Securities, the securities firm is still currently led by Vice President Lei Jie in the role of acting president.
Almost eight months after announcing the global recruitment plan for senior executives at the beginning of the year, Yuekai Securities has finally welcomed a new president recruited through market-oriented means.
On September 3rd, Yuekai Securities issued an announcement on the appointment of senior management personnel, announcing the appointment of Cui Hongjun as the company's president, with the term of office until the expiration of the current board of directors, effective from September 3rd, 2024.
Looking at his personal resume, Cui Hongjun was born in 1972, is a member of the Communist Party of China, holds a master's degree, and has served as a business manager at Huaxia Securities, a business director at United Securities, general manager of the Investment Banking Beijing Second Department, managing director and deputy general manager of the Investment Banking Business Headquarters at Orient Securities, managing director and general manager of the Investment Banking Department at Orient Citic Securities, deputy general manager of the company, deputy general manager and co-general manager at Orient Securities Underwriting and Sponsorship Co., Ltd. (Orient Investment Banking), and before joining, he served as the party committee secretary, chief executive officer, and chief financial officer at Orient Securities Underwriting and Sponsorship Co., Ltd.
In terms of performance, according to the semi-annual report for 2024, Yuekai Securities achieved a revenue of 414 million yuan in the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of 13.88%; the net profit attributable to the shareholders of the listed company was 73 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 39.44%.
Public information shows that Yuekai Securities (formerly Lianxin Securities) was established in June 1988 and is one of the earliest batch of securities companies established in China. In August 2014, the company was officially listed on the New Third Board. In 2019, Guangzhou Development Zone Holding Group became the controlling shareholder of Lianxin Securities, the company was renamed "Yuekai Securities," and the actual controller of the company changed to Guangzhou Development Zone Holding Group.